Modeling a database with dates into Visio Timelines

[Ian Campbell]

I am trying to use Visio 2000 to produce pretty pictures of
a database containing project start and end date
information.

I can link a timeline object to a record in my access
database but the dates are passed through as strings. It
appears the timeline object wants the date as an integer.
Hence date info is not transfering properly and my
timelines are all null.

If I hack the shape using the shape sheet I can pass the
string through the datevalue function and my shape works.
Of couse when I update the record from the database I lose
the change.

So how do I convince access to pass a date as an integer,
or convince Visio to recognise the string ?

P.S. Don't confuse the level of detail here with me
knowing what I am doing

 

[Al Edlund]

When I ran into that problem I just created a second date field in
'double'/'real' format. That worked well since I had to do time analysis
(down to the minute in some cases).
Al

 

[Ian Campbell]

Thanks Al,

I created a database query on the table with a new
calculated field that multiplied my date by 1.

I now link visio to the query (rather than the original
table) and my calculated field comes through as an number
rather than a text string. This now links corectly to my
timeline shape.

Thanks again.

Ian