You connect Bentley ProjectWise to a network server with a CDE integration that keeps files, folders and attributes aligned between the on-premises server and ProjectWise, or with a migration that moves the server's contents into ProjectWise for good. CDE Sync™ handles the ongoing connection and CDE Migrate™ handles a one-time move, both preserving folder structure and version history.
Why network servers sit beside ProjectWise
Engineering firms and asset owners that use ProjectWise often still run network servers or NAS devices. Some teams store analysis outputs, survey data or vendor documents locally. Some projects keep classified or sensitive material on servers that cannot be exposed. And many organisations hold years of legacy project data on shares that were never brought into ProjectWise.
When information sits in both places, engineers copy files between them by hand. Attributes are added after the fact, if at all, and the server copy and the ProjectWise copy drift apart. When the time comes to find the authoritative version, nobody is certain which one it is.
What carries across between ProjectWise and a network server
CDE Sync™ maps the server's folder structure to ProjectWise folders and attributes, and keeps the two aligned in the direction you choose. Files added to a nominated server folder can be checked into ProjectWise with attributes derived from folder and file naming rules, and updates in ProjectWise can be written back to the server. Version history integrity is maintained, and every transfer is logged.
The network servers and Bentley ProjectWise integration pages describe both connectors.
How to connect ProjectWise to a network server, step by step
Decide whether the server will stay in use (sync) or be retired (migration into ProjectWise).
Identify the shares and folders involved and the ProjectWise folders they relate to.
Work with your IT team on the secure connection to the server and a scoped service account.
Arrange a ProjectWise service account with your ProjectWise administrator.
Connect both in the CDE Sync™ wizard, or agree the migration scope and target date with Utopia Digital.
Define how folders and file names populate ProjectWise attributes.
Test on a small folder, check results with document control, then switch on the schedule or complete the move.
Bringing legacy shares into ProjectWise
Legacy shares often hold the history behind current assets, such as earlier design stages, calculations and correspondence. Leaving them on ageing servers carries risk, both of hardware failure and of the knowledge becoming impossible to find. A migration brings selected shares into ProjectWise with their structure and version history, and applies attributes so the content becomes searchable alongside current work.
Not every share needs to become live ProjectWise content. For material that only needs to be kept, CDE Archive™ holds it in your own Azure where it can still be searched. Our article on connecting a network drive to your CDE covers that choice in more detail.
For an ongoing sync, the main decision is which side is authoritative for each folder. A one-way flow from server to ProjectWise suits teams that author locally and want ProjectWise to hold the controlled copy. A two-way flow suits teams whose local tools also need to see updates made in ProjectWise.
Agreeing naming rules up front also pays off later, because the same rules keep applying to every new file.
Security for on-premises data
CDE Sync™ streams files without storing them, encrypts data in transit, processes it in the Azure region you choose and uses a service account scoped only to the folders in sync. That suits SOCI-regulated work across transport, energy, water and aviation. Utopia Digital holds SOC 2 Type II and Cyber Essentials. See the Security Trust Portal and the global data region map.
ProjectWise, network servers and the Utopiaverse™
Connecting a network server to ProjectWise is part of the Utopiaverse™, the connected record Utopia Digital builds across your platforms. CDE Sync™ keeps server and ProjectWise aligned, CDE Backup™ keeps an independent copy of ProjectWise in your own Azure, CDE Migrate™ retires the server when you are ready, and CDE Archive™ captures completed work. AI Insights searches local and ProjectWise content together, with answers that cite the source files. See also How Do I Connect ProjectWise and SharePoint? and How to back up a CDE.
See a network server connected to ProjectWise in the monthly live demo, or talk to the team about your environment.
