Home > Consumer Reviews > Microsoft Visio Professional 2007

I been using Visio Enterprise 2003 for the last 3 years with Sql Server 2000. My only use of visio relates to database modeling. Once the drawing is been approved, I simply used "Update" option to update database. The update option is a time saving feature in a rapid application development environment for changing relationship, keys and constraints. Writing those changes back to Sql Server is a smooth process.

Recently i changed my development environment to SQL Server 2005 and figured out that Visio 2003 Enterprise does not work with SQL Server 2005. So I decided to buy visio professional 2007 to use the single feature of database modeling.

Upon installation, I figured that there is no option for writing changes back to SQL Server 2005 in either version of Visio (2003 Enterprise, 2007 Professional). In simple there is no "update" or "generate" command in visio professional 2007.

Put it simple. If you want to use database modeling and hoping to write those changes back to SQL Server 2005 with visio, DON'T BUT IT......IT WILL NOT WORK

The new Visio Professional improves upon the previous version in UML diagrams. It allows for more flexibility while enforcing the rules to a greater degree. The additional templates that came standard and the organization of them was very useful. On the down side, like all the new products from Microsoft, it is a memory hog.

For building and furnishing a home, there were not enough stencils. Also had trouble inserting stencils and having them stay where they were placed.

I use Visio professionally for software design and am very fond of the UML plug-in that is part of the Professional edition of Visio, and of the template for specifying the Network that the software is part of.

Visio, as most Microsoft products, is very user-friendly and the graphic layout is very easy to read - both on Screen and on Print.