DataRecordsets.AddFromConnectionFile Method

Adds a DataRecordset object to the DataRecordsets collection by using the connection and query information contained in an Office Data Connection (ODC) file to connect to and retrieve data from an OLEDB or ODBC data source.

Note
This Visio object or member is available only to licensed users of Microsoft Office Visio Professional 2007.

Version Information
 Version Added:  Visio 2007

Syntax

expression.AddFromConnectionFile(FileName, AddOptions, Name)

expression   An expression that returns a DataRecordsets object.

Parameters

Return Value
DataRecordset

Remarks

For the FileName parameter, pass the name and full path of an ODC file that contains a connection string that specifies how to connect to an OLEDB or ODBC data source and a query string that specifies how to extract the desired data from the data source.

An ODC file uses HTML and XML to store connection and query information. You can view or edit the contents of the file in any text editor. ODC files have the .odc file name extension. You can use the Data Connection Wizard in Microsoft Office Access or Microsoft Office Excel to create an ODC file that will connect to and retrieve the data you want.

The AddOptions parameter can be a combination of one or more of the following values from the VisDataRecordsetAddOptions enumeration, which is declared in the Visio type library. The default is zero (0), which specifies that none of the options be set.

Once you assign these values, you cannot change them for the life of the DataRecordset object.

The Name argument is an optional string that lets you assign the data recordset a display name. If you specify that the External Data window display in the Visio UI, the name you pass for this argument appears on the tab of the External Data window that corresponds to the data recordset added.

If the AddFromConnectionFile method succeeds, it performs the following actions:

• Creates a DataRecordset object and assigns it the name specified in the Name parameter. If you do not specify a name, Visio assigns the data recordset the name of the database table that is the source of the data.
• Associates a new or existing DataConnection object with the DataRecordset object.
• Executes the query string specified in the command string within the ODC file and retreives the resulting data.
• Maps the data types of the columns of the data source to equivalent Visio data types, while filtering the results to remove data-source columns that cannot be linked to Visio shapes because they have no equivalent Visio data type.
• Assigns a row ID to each row in the data recordset. For more information about row IDs, see the DataRecordset.GetDataRowIDs property topic.

Note
The AddFromConnectionFile method fails and return an exception if it encounters network connection errors, network time outs, or database permission errors.

Example

The following Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macro shows how you might use the AddFromConnectionString method to connect a Visio drawing to connect to data in the Products table of the Northwind database that is supplied with Microsoft Office Access. Before running this sample code, use the Data Connection Wizard to create an ODC file, and replace the value of the strFile variable with the full path to and file name of the ODC file you created. Optionally, supply a different value for the strName variable.

  Public Sub AddFromConnectionFile_Example()
Dim strFile As String
Dim strName As String
Dim vsoDataRecordset As Visio.DataRecordset

strFile = "C:\Documents and Settings\<em>username</em>\My Documents\My Data Sources\Northwind.mdb Products.odc"

strName = "Data from ODC"

Set vsoDataRecordset = ThisDocument.DataRecordsets.AddFromConnectionFile(strFile, 0, strName)

End Sub

See Also

• DataRecordsets Collection
• DataRecordsets Object Members