Chapter 11. Configuring Visio Graphics Service

Visio Graphics Service is a new feature in SharePoint Server 2010 Enterprise Edition. It allows publishing of data-driven web drawings from Microsoft Visio 2010 Professional or Premium. It enables users to view web drawings in the browser without installing Visio on their local machines. Users can connect their diagrams to one or more data sources, including Microsoft Excel, SQL Server, and SharePoint Foundation Services lists. The Visio Graphics Service enables users to create visually compelling, interactive dashboards by combining Visio diagrams, real-time data, and different applications in SharePoint Server 2010. Users can also schedule a job to refresh the linked data at specific time intervals.

Adding the Visio Graphics Service

By default, Visio Graphics Service is included when a web application is created. However, if the application is set up via a custom selection of services and Visio Graphics Service is not included in the initial creation, follow these steps in SharePoint 2010 Central Administration to add the service using Farm Configuration Wizard:

1. Click the Configuration Wizards link on the Central Administration page and then click the Launch the Farm Configuration Wizard link.
2. Click the Start the Wizard link and then check the Visio Graphics Service check box.

   ---

   Note

   If the Visio Graphics Service check box is already checked and disabled, it means Visio Graphics Service was installed previously. You can click Cancel and come out of the Farm Configuration Wizard. You can ignore steps 3 and 4.

   ---

3. After checking the Visio Graphics Service check box, click the Next button. The wizard then asks you to configure a new site. You can click the Skip button to avoid creating a new site.
4. Click the Finish button to complete the Farm Configuration Wizard. Doing so brings you back to the Central Administration page.
5. Click the Manage Service Applications link on the Central Administration home page. This will bring you to the Service Applications page as shown in Figure 11.1. Confirm that Visio Graphics Application Service is already started on Service Applications page.

   Figure 11.1. Manage service applications.

   

Configuring Visio Graphics Service Global Settings

Visio Graphics Service has some global configuration settings that optimize performance, caching, and security. You can configure these settings from the SharePoint 2010 Central Administration page as follows:

1. Click the Manage Web Applications link on the Central Administration home page and then click Manage Service Applications.
2. In the list of service applications, click the Visio Graphics Service link.
3. Click the Global Settings link; it will bring you to the Visio Graphics Service Settings page as shown in the Figure 11.2 to configure following:

   Figure 11.2. Visio Graphics Service settings.

   

   • Maximum Web Drawing Size: You can change the maximum size of a web drawing that Visio Graphics Service will render using this global setting. By default, the maximum web drawing size is 5MB.

   • Minimum Cache Age: Caching enables multiple users to view the same diagram without forcing the server to render it every time. If a diagram changes, it is automatically removed from the cache. The default minimum cache age is 5 minutes. Value ranges from 0 to 34560 minutes.

   • Maximum Cache Age: Defines the maximum storage time for frequently accessed items. The default maximum cache age is 60 minutes. I/O and CPU load decreases for larger Cache Age value but it increases memory usage on the server.

   • Maximum Recalc Duration: Defines the maximum time Visio Graphics Service data refresh operation takes before it times out. By default, it takes 60 seconds before it times out.

   • External Data: Defines the unattended service account used by Visio Graphics Service to connect to external data sources such as SQL.

Configuring a Visio Graphics Service Global Settings Parameters by Using Windows PowerShell

One can also use Windows PowerShell command prompt to add Visio Graphics Service application to their SharePoint farm. Steps shared below provide you more details on how to use Windows PowerShell command prompt.

Visio Graphics Service Trusted Data Providers

Visio Graphics Service maintains a list of trusted data providers. If a user publishes a web drawing that is connected to a data source that is not trusted, Visio Graphics Service does not attempt to connect to it.

By default, data providers shared in Table 11.1 are trusted by Visio Graphics Service application. You can easily add or remove a provider from the SharePoint 2010 Central Administration page as by using following steps:

1. Click the Manage Web Applications link on the Central Administration home page and then click Manage Service Applications.
2. From the list of service applications, click the Visio Graphics Service link.
3. Click the Trusted Data Providers link. The system will take you to Visio Graphics Service Trusted Data Providers page as shown in Figure 11.3, where you can add, edit, or remove data providers.

   Figure 11.3. Trusted data providers.

   

Table 11.1. Trusted Data Providers

Visio Process Repository Site Template

Visio Process Repository is a new SharePoint site template that contains a library for documentation and process diagrams. The Process Diagrams document library comes prepopulated with several templates that can be used to create new process diagrams. Because the Visio Process Repository is built on top of SharePoint 2010, users can also take advantage of other SharePoint features. For instance, you can configure workflows, set up automatic email notifications on document change, and view the revision history for a given document.

In just a few clicks, a SharePoint administrator can create a Visio Process Repository. Visio Process Repository can be added to your existing Business Intelligence Center site as follows:

1. Click the Site Actions link in the upper-left corner of your Business Intelligence Center site, and then click the More Options link.
2. Select Visio Process Repository from the Items list as shown in Figure 11.4 and click the More Options button.

   Figure 11.4. Creating a Visio Process Repository site.

   

3. Supply Title, Description, and Website Address text values of your choice. You can let the repository use the same permissions as the parent site for now. For Navigation Inheritance, select the Yes radio button to let the repository use the top link bar from the parent site.
4. Click the Create button to complete the process. Doing so creates a new link for Visio Process Repository on the top link bar as shown in Figure 11.5.

   Figure 11.5. Visio Process Repository site.

   

Summary

Visio Graphics Service is a new feature in SharePoint 2010 Enterprise. It allows the sharing with others of data-driven Visio diagrams online in a browser. The Visio Process Repository site template comes out of the box in SharePoint 2010 and lets users effectively manage their Visio process diagrams.

This chapter walked through the process of configuring Visio Graphics Service for your existing Business Intelligence Center site and brought you to the point where you can start developing and publishing Visio diagrams. Review Chapter 12 to learn how to develop and publish data-driven Visio diagrams.

Best Practices

The following are best practices from this chapter:

• Before setting up the unattended service account, ensure that you have set up the Secure Store Service within SharePoint. Review Chapter 13 to learn more about unattended service account and Secure Store Service setup.

• By default, the maximum web drawing size is 5MB. You can increase or decrease the size based on your organization’s storage policies. A larger size limit defined under Maximum Diagram Size global settings may slowdown system performance if the server is under heavy load, whereas a smaller value may prevent large drawings to display.

• Minimum and maximum cache age settings should be tuned based on how frequently data is refreshing and how often users are accessing web drawings.