Microsoft Visio Professional 2002 Upgrade from 5.0 or Later [Old Version]

Visio 2002 Professional represents the first significant update of this well-respected diagramming and charting software since it joined the Microsoft stable. The Visio product suite now comprises two members, with 2002 Professional combining the earlier Professional and Technical versions.

A wealth of new features awaits, with Office XP integration high on the agenda. True, Visio always worked well with Office, but now you'll find XP menus, a new task pane, Auto-Recover, Office Search, and application error reporting added to the list. Note that it also uses Microsoft's new XP registration feature, and will stop working after 10 uses if you haven't entered an activation code.

A Drawing Type Selector gets you off the starting block and lets you choose diagram styles that range from building plans, Web site diagrams, and process engineering to databases, flow charts, and physical or logical network maps. Organizational charts are much improved and a wizard helps to create new charts or import existing information from TXT and XLS formats or ODBC-compliant data sources. The curved-wall tool makes creating building layouts more fun, and you can import and export drawings in standard CAD file formats. Pictures can also be imported directly from a scanner or camera.

However, there's much more, as Visio can be programmed using VBA or C++, while project-management tools include Gantt and PERT chart creation. If you're serious about your charts and diagrams then Visio 2002 Professional has everything you could possibly need, while the new interface makes it even easier to use. --Dave Mitchell

There are many improvements new to this version, including enhanced graphics, text, and color, as well as the ability to import and manipulate images from other sources. Visio Professional 2002 combines and improves upon the functionality of Visio 2000 Technical and Professional, taking all the functionality of Visio Standard and adding specific shapes and diagrams for a wide range of engineering and computer-related applications. New online resources help users stay current and get more value from Visio 2002. Also, you can publish diagrams to the Web that are more attractive and effective. New and improved features streamline the process of rolling out and maintaining Visio 2002 across an organization. There is improved property reporting and database connectivity, more-powerful search capabilities, and a streamlined work environment. Developers gain greater flexibility in creating custom Visio applications through support for COM add-ins, a new XML file format, and more than 90 new automation methods.