Any shape can have data associated with it. Shape data is a great way to add complexity to diagrams like org charts, sales territory maps, and network diagrams without cluttering up a clean diagram. Data is basically a set of fields and associated values. These show in the data panel and in a tool tip on the shape itself.
To add data to a shape, click on the Shape Data control (the small database icon) in the Left Bar. This will change the tools and information displayed in the SmartPanel to the left of your workspace.
If there's no data associated with your document yet, you'll have two options. To Add New Table or Import Data Table.
If you already have data associated with your drawing, you'll have to click Actions and you'll see the options to Add New Table or Import Data Table in that menu. All floor plan symbols and some network symbols in SmartDraw already have shape data associated with them. Dragging and dropping a symbol with shape data attached to your diagram will automatically add a table and schema to your diagram.
Adding a New Data Table
If you choose Add New Table, you'll have to enter your data by hand. First, select a name for your data table.
Then create your schema.
Define Your Schema
Click on the Schema tab. The schema is basically a blueprint for the data you want to have associated with your visual. If you're dealing with a floor plan, you may want to have a field for a description of the object, an asset number, manufacturer or model number, a purchase date, or cost.
For each field, you can specify whether the type of data it can contain: text, boolean, integer, float, date, and so on.
Import Data Table
You may have existing data you want to import and connect to shapes.
To import an external data table, select Import Data Table.
You'll be given two options. You can upload a CSV File from your desktop or connect to data from a URL like Google Sheets.
Importing Data from a CSV File
To import data from a CSV file on your desktop, select File in the Import Data menu and click Browse to find the file on your computer. Once your file is selected, click OK to import.
Once your data is imported, you can drag any row to a shape to assign data to that shape.
Alternatively, select the shape first then in the Table tab, select the line of data you want to associate with the shape and click Attach Shape Data. Once the data is associated with a shape, there will be a green check mark next to it.
Importing Data from Google Sheets
To import data from a URL, first you'll need to get a share URL from the data source. Open a document in Google Sheets and go to the File menu, select Share, then Publish to web.
In the dialog that appears, make sure you choose Comma-separated values (.csv) in the second drop-down and hit Publish.
Now you have a URL you can use to link to your data.
Copy the URL in the dialog.
In SmartDraw's Import Data dialog, choose URL and paste the copied URL into the appropriate field.
Note: to enable auto-updating of data, select Update Data Table from the Action menu.
Select Auto-update.
To learn more about working with Shape Data, read our guide to Shape Data: