When you use the Export To Database or Link To ODBC Database command for the first time, you must set up and select an ODBC data source. Although you can use the Control Panel to set up an ODBC data source before exporting or linking, you don’t have to—Visio 2007 provides all the options you need. A data source is simply the particular database file you want to connect to. You need to tell Visio 2007 where to find the database program, as well as which ODBC drivers can communicate with it and which database file (or object) to use. Through this process, you create a file called a data source name (DSN), which saves the settings used to create the connection.
You can create different types of DSNs depending on whether you want to share the connection with other users. The following procedure creates a file-based DSN, which means the DSN is portable—you can copy it to any other computer, such as a laptop or another user’s computer. For added security, you can also specify a user or system DSN, both of which limit access to the DSN file to the user of your computer.
Note
The following procedure assumes that a data source already exists. If you are creating a new DSN and a new database or spreadsheet, you must first create the database or spreadsheet file and save it before proceeding.
Follow these steps to create a new ODBC data source: