Chart Admins have two options available for exporting a Chart from Teams:
- Export the structure in a text-only format to use as a backup or to make updates to a structure that you can import back into Teams.
- Export the structure in a text-and-images format to use with Microsoft Visio.
Exporting the Chart
1. In the Teams side navigation, locate the Chart you wish to export.
2. Click on the i-icon next to it's name, then select Export Chart from the i-menu.
3. On the Export Chart screen, select your format options and then click Download.
Once the file has been downloaded:
If you selected Export for Chart backup, you now have a backup that you can use to restore your Chart structure if you ever need it. This file can also be used if you want to make edits to a Chart which you can then update by importing the file back into Teams.
If you selected Export for Viso (includes profile photos), continue to the next section for how to import your structure to Visio.
Importing your Chart to Visio
Once the file has finished downloading you will have a ZIP file contains the main .txt file that you will import to Visio, as well as a directory containing all of your users' photos. After you've extracted the contents from the ZIP file, you can then open Visio to begin the process of importing the Chart.
1. Click on New, then select the Organizational Chart graphic.
2. When the pop-up window appears click Create.
You will then be guided through an Organization Chart Wizard, we've listed out the steps for you below (see screenshots for point of reference).
3. Select the already stored in a file option, then click Next.
4. Select the text (.txt) option, then click Next.
5. Click Browse, select the .txt file that was extracted from the downloaded ZIP file, click Next.
NOTE—if you get an error please go here first.
6. Here you will indicate which columns in the text file define the organization structure, then click Next.
7. Next, choose the fields you would like to be displayed for each Org Chart box on your Visio chart. Highlight a field from the Data file columns list, then click Add to move it to the Displayed fields list.
Once you have mapped over all of the desired fields click Next. We suggest you choose the "Name" column as the main field to display.
8. By default, Shape Data fields are not displayed by Visio in the Org Chart. Shape data fields represent additional information that Visio can store for each Org Chart box. For further information about how to create data graphics, click here.
9. If you want to include Profile photos, locate the "Photos" folder containing your user photos (it was also extracted from the ZIP file) and specify to match the pictures based on the PhotoFile column; then click Next.
10. Here you have the ability to break the Org Chart diagram into separate pages.
Pages refers to the the piece of the org chart you wish to display. You have the ability to break the single Org Chart up into smaller pieces (i.e., multiple "pages"). The screen capture shows what to specify, should you want to have the Org Chart be produced as a single "piece" starting from the top.
To achieve this, define as a single "page" with the person at the top of the Org Chart selected as the Employee to appear at the top of the "page" and then choose to display "All Subordinates" of that person.
When you're done click Finish.
Voila!
Your organizational chart is now ready for you in Visio.
NOTE—The above screen captures are for Visio 2013 Enterprise, but both Visio 2013 Standard and Visio 2013 Professional should be compatible. For Visio 2016 users, see below for a slight change to the workflow.
Error during Step 5?
If you’re importing to Visio 2013 or 2016, then you may run into a "Name" error during Step 5 of Importing your Chart to Visio if you try to upload the .txt file. To work around this, use Google Sheets to convert the .txt file into an .xls file (avoid using Excel to convert the file, as it will sometimes carry over non-printable characters from the .txt file, which will still cause the error).
- Open a new spreadsheet in Google Sheets
- Go to File > Import
- Locate and select your .txt file
- Go to File > Download as and select Microsoft Excel (.xlsx)
- Go to your new .xlsx file and rename the extension .xls
- Return to Step 5 of Importing your Chart to Visio and use Browse to locate and add the .xls file
- Complete the remaining Importing your Chart to Visio steps
Should you have any additional questions please don't hesitate to contact us at support@jostle.me.
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