You connect your common data environment (CDE) platforms with a CDE integration that moves files, versions, folders and metadata between them automatically, on rules you set once. A tool such as CDE Sync™ links each platform through a secure service account, translates metadata between their schemas and keeps every connected CDE showing the same current record, so nobody has to download, rename and re-upload files by hand.
Why one project ends up with several CDEs
Most large projects run more than one CDE because each organisation brings its own. The designer works in Bentley ProjectWise, the contractor in Autodesk Forma, the client mandates Oracle Aconex or InEight for submissions, and the wider business keeps its records in Microsoft SharePoint. Asking everyone to move onto one platform rarely holds once a joint venture partner or consultant arrives with its own enterprise agreement, trained staff and established processes.
The gap between those platforms is usually filled by people. A document controller downloads a file, renames it to suit the destination, re-keys the metadata, uploads it and checks it landed. On a large programme that cycle repeats thousands of times, and each repetition is a chance for a version mismatch or a wrong status value to slip through. Our article on how many CDEs one project has covers why this pattern is so common.
What a CDE integration actually has to do
Moving a file between two platforms is the easy part. A useful integration also has to carry the information that gives the file its meaning. That includes the revision and status, the ISO 19650 naming fields, the folder location, the version history and any custom attributes the receiving organisation requires.
Each CDE stores those things differently. Autodesk Forma, ProjectWise, Aconex, Procore and SharePoint all use their own folder logic and metadata schemas, so a field called "Status" in one platform may map to a picklist with different values in another. The integration has to translate between them as files move, in both directions where needed, and log every action so the record can be audited later.
How to connect your CDE platforms, step by step
Connecting CDEs with CDE Sync™ follows the same pattern whichever platforms are involved:
List the platforms on the project and agree which information needs to flow between them, such as issued drawings, models or submissions.
Ask each platform administrator for a dedicated service account with access to the agreed folders or projects.
In the CDE Sync™ wizard, connect each platform using its service account.
Choose the source and destination folders and set the direction of the sync: one way, both ways or across more than two platforms.
Map metadata fields between the platforms, including ISO 19650 naming, revision and status fields.
Set the rules and schedule, run a test sync on a small folder, then check the audit log and the results in each platform.
Hand day-to-day operation to a document controller or BIM coordinator once the first syncs are confirmed.
The wizard needs no code, no scripts and no virtual machines. Most of the elapsed time in a new setup goes on the client side, in security reviews and access approvals.
Which platforms can be connected
CDE Sync™ connects Autodesk Forma (including BIM 360), Bentley ProjectWise, Oracle Aconex, Procore, Microsoft SharePoint, Asite, InEight, 12d Synergy, Trimble Viewpoint, Bluebeam, Egnyte, Dalux, RIB, Azure Blob Storage and network servers. It can also connect two instances of the same platform, such as one Autodesk Forma hub to another. The full list sits on the integrations pages.
Some CDE vendors also offer connection tools as part of their own product families, such as Bentley Enterprise Connection Services (BECS) and 12d Synergy's CDE Connect. A vendor-neutral integration suits projects where no single vendor's platform sits at the centre and every party keeps its own CDE.
Security and data residency
CDE Sync™ streams files directly between your platforms and never stores them. Data is encrypted in transit and processed in the Azure region you choose, which matters on projects with data residency clauses or Security of Critical Infrastructure (SOCI) obligations. Utopia Digital holds SOC 2 Type II and Cyber Essentials. The detail is on the Security Trust Portal, and the available regions are on the global data region map.
Connecting CDE platforms and the Utopiaverse™
Connecting live platforms is the first layer of the Utopiaverse™, Utopia Digital's connected record of project data. CDE Sync™ keeps platforms aligned during delivery, CDE Backup™ holds an independent copy in your own Azure, CDE Migrate™ carries the record across when a platform changes and CDE Archive™ captures it at completion. AI Insights then searches and answers questions across every project and platform at once, with answers that cite the source files. For more background, read What Is CDE Sync™?
You can see a live connection between two CDEs in the monthly live demo, or talk to the team about the platforms on your project.
