# Cablefolio vs spreadsheets and Visio

> Spreadsheets and Visio are general-purpose tools that many teams use for port maps and diagrams; Cablefolio is built for that one job, so the port map, the drawing, the label, and the report are generated from one linked record.

| Topic | Cablefolio | spreadsheets and Visio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | Network and low-voltage documentation software | A general-purpose spreadsheet, and a general-purpose diagramming application |
| How a connection is recorded | A link between two device ports, over a cable run with its own ID, traceable end to end | Rows and shapes you design yourself; links between them are kept consistent by hand |
| Rack elevations and topology | Drawn from the recorded devices and links, and redrawn when they change | Drawn by hand, and redrawn by hand when the network changes |
| On site | A phone-first app that works offline, with photos, QR lookup, and checklists | Files opened on a laptop or a phone, edited one at a time |
| Labels and reports | Printed from the same record: QR labels, wire flags, PDF, Word, CSV, and Excel | Prepared separately, from a copy of the data |
| History | Every field’s history, with who changed it and a revert | File versions, depending on where the file is stored |

## Where spreadsheets and Visio are the right tool

A spreadsheet is unbeatable for a quick list, and Visio and draw.io for a one-off drawing nobody needs to keep current. If a site has a dozen devices and changes once a year, they may be all you need.

## Where they start to cost time

The trouble starts when the same fact lives in three files: the port map says port 14, the diagram says 12, and the label on the cable says something else. Cablefolio keeps each fact once — a link between two ports over one cable run — and draws the rack, the faceplate, the topology map, the floor plan, the labels, and the report from it. Change it once and every view agrees.

## Bringing your files across

Import devices from a spreadsheet, and seed a property’s rooms, racks, cable runs, and links from one, with the columns mapped and previewed before anything is written. Topology views download as draw.io files, which draw.io can save as Visio. See [switching to Cablefolio](https://cablefolio.com/help/switching/).

## Questions and answers

### Can I import my existing spreadsheet into Cablefolio?

Yes. Cablefolio imports devices from any spreadsheet and seeds a property’s rooms, racks, cable runs, and links from one, mapping and previewing the columns before anything is written.

### Can I still get a Visio diagram out of Cablefolio?

Cablefolio downloads topology views as SVG, PNG, and draw.io files; draw.io can save a draw.io file as Visio VSDX.

## Sources

- [Microsoft Visio](https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/visio/flowchart-software)
- [draw.io](https://www.drawio.com/)