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The Oracle ODBC Driver is a powerful tool that allows you to connect with Oracle, directly from any applications that support ODBC connectivity.

Access Oracle databases from virtually anywhere through a standard ODBC Driver interface.

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How to create Visio diagrams from Oracle Data


Automatically update Oracle data with the changes you make to Visio master shapes.

Automate the process of entering data into Visio diagrams and keeping your diagrams up to date with the CData ODBC Driver for Oracle. The driver surfaces Oracle data as an ODBC data source that can be accessed by applications with built-in ODBC support like Microsoft Office. This article shows how to create a simple diagram to start brainstorming about Visio projects linked to Oracle data.

Connect to Oracle as an ODBC Data Source

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

To connect to Oracle, you'll first need to update your PATH variable and ensure it contains a folder location that includes the native DLLs. The native DLLs can be found in the lib folder inside the installation directory. Once you've done this, set the following to connect:

  • Port: The port used to connect to the server hosting the Oracle database.
  • User: The user Id provided for authentication with the Oracle database.
  • Password: The password provided for authentication with the Oracle database.
  • Service Name: The service name of the Oracle database.

Connect Oracle Data to Diagrams

Follow the steps below to use the Data Selector Wizard to import data into your diagram.

  1. Open Visio and click File -> New. Open the Brainstorming template.
  2. On the Data tab, click Link Data to Shapes.
  3. Select the ODBC option and select ODBC DSN.
  4. Select the DSN for Oracle, select the table you want to import, and finish the wizard. This article uses Customers as an example.

Link Oracle Entities to Shapes

Follow the steps below to create a simple diagram that shows how to create shapes from your data, one of the ways to link Oracle entities to shapes:

  1. Click Brainstorming Shapes and drag a main topic onto the drawing page. Enter Customers as the text of the main topic.
  2. Click Topic.
  3. Select a row in the External Data window and drag it onto the drawing page.
  4. Right-click the Topic shape and click Data -> Edit Data Graphic.
  5. Click New Item.
  6. In the Data Field menu, select a column. In the Displayed As menu, select how to display them.
  7. Drag a few other Oracle entities onto the drawing page and add association lines back to the main topic, Customers. New topics have the same configuration: Numeric columns displayed in data bars stand out in contrast to other Customers entities.

You can refresh your diagram from the Data tab, synchronizing your shapes with the external Oracle data.