MDG Link for Visio

Introduction

The MDG link for Visio allows the user to import diagrams created in Visio into an Enterprise Architect model.
Note: EA 12.1 or higher is required.

Importing Visio diagrams into Enterprise Architect

The MDG-Link for Microsoft Visio is an add-in for Enterprise Architect designed to translate Microsoft Visio diagrams (files with .vsd and .vdx extensions) into their model equivalent in Enterprise Architect.
Use MDG-Link for Microsoft Visio:

To import one or more diagrams from Microsoft Visio into Enterprise Architect:
1. Use the Enterprise Architect Project Browser to select the package that will contain the imported Visio diagram.
From the main menu, select Extensions | Microsoft Visio | Import Visio Documents.

The command for importing Visio diagrams is available via the Extensions menu.

Select the Visio files you want to transfer.

2. Select one or more .vsd or .vdx files with Visio diagrams to import and click the Open button. If you select multiple files, it is best to only select files that contain similar diagram types (e.g. class diagrams).

Note: Make sure that none of the selected diagrams are already open in Visio. For best results, close all running instances of Visio before proceeding with the import.

3. Enterprise Architect prompts you to specify the default types to be created for elements, diagrams and connectors imported from Visio.

These types are only used if the importer was not able to recognise the object type in Visio and assign it accordingly. For convenience, several predefined mapping profiles are provided, or you can set your own custom default mappings. 

4. click on each desired profile and then on the OK button. A progress dialogue will be displayed listing any warnings or errors that occur during the import. You can check these messages once the import is complete.

When the message ‘Import completed…’ is displayed in the dialogue box, all specified diagrams should be imported into Enterprise Architect. Click the ‘Close’ button to review the imported diagrams.

After completion, the importer reports all errors detected in the imported diagrams.

Although the MDG link for Microsoft Visio does its best to convert Visio shapes to UML equivalents, the translation may not always be perfect and you should consider the following aspects:

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A specific Visio shape may not be assigned directly to a UML element.

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Microsoft Visio does not provide access to all the information stored in its diagrams

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A connector must be ‘glued’ to a Visio mould at both ends so that the importer can recognise it as a relationship.

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Built-in discussion forum: Write posts, make discussions accessible and manage topics for team communication.

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Customer-specific search service: Perform complex searches, view SysML distributions and generate reports from the events.

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Support for XMI 2.0, XMI 2.1 and UML 2.x

Diagram layout information, such as the positioning of elements and connectors, may need to be adjusted manually after import.

In the event that something cannot be imported, the add-in provides you with a full report of any errors and allows you to easily highlight the element in the Visio diagram that could not be imported.

Some Visio shapes cannot be imported properly into Enterprise Architect. In most cases, these are connectors that are not correctly connected to valid objects at both ends.

During an import, any Visio form that could not be imported is identified in the progress window. Once the import process is complete, you can view a report or the specific Visio form that could not be imported in the original Visio diagram.

Display a report:

After the import process is complete, the View Report button will become available in the progress window. Click this button to open an HTML report of the import, detailing the translations of Visio shapes into Enterprise Architect objects.

Marking an error in the original Visio diagram