Any shape can have data associated with it. Shape data is a great way to add important information to diagrams like organizational charts, sales territory maps, floor plans, and network diagrams. Data is basically a set of fields and associated values. For example, for a floor plan, you may want to create a manifest that has a description, an asset number, a serial number, a price, and location information associated with each shape in the diagram.
To add data to a shape, click on the Shape Data control (the small database icon) in the Left Bar to change the information and tools available in the SmartPanel to the left of your work area.
Add Shape Data
If there are no shapes with data in your diagram, selecting the Shape Data Control will prompt you to Add Shape Data.
You can import an existing data file or add data to shapes manually.
Add a New Table Manually
If you choose to enter a new table manually, you'll be prompted to name your table.
Define Your Schema
Next, you'll have to 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.
Add new fields using the plus button and delete any fields you don't want to use using the trash icon. Reorder fields using the up and down arrows.
Please note that all floor plan symbols in SmartDraw already have shape data associated with them. So dragging and dropping a symbol to your diagram will automatically add a table and schema to your diagram so you can skip the above part when creating floor plans.
Define the Data Associated a Shape
To associate data with the selected shape, select the shape first and then click on the Data tab. You'll notice that if no data is associated with the shape yet, the values will be blank for each field in your schema. To add a value to any field, click on the blank box and type. If there is data associated with the shape already, the values will not be blank and you can change them using this tab.
Associate Data Values from a Table with a Specific Shape
You can associate imported data with any shape.
You can drag any row to a shape to assign data to that shape.
Alternatively, you can 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.
See the Data Associated with Any Shape
To see the data associated with any shape, you can select the shape and then click on the Shape Data control and then the Data tab. As we mentioned above, this view also allows you modify these values.
See and modify data associated with a shape in the Data tab:
If you just want to see the values associated with the shape, you can hover your mouse over the blue information icon on the shape to see a modal of data information.