ProjectWise enterprise connection services link Bentley ProjectWise to the other platforms an organisation and its partners use, such as Autodesk Forma, Oracle Aconex, Procore and Microsoft SharePoint, under one managed configuration. CDE Sync™ provides that connection across vendors. It links ProjectWise datasources to each platform through service accounts, translates environment attributes into each platform's fields and keeps documents and versions aligned, with every action logged.
Why ProjectWise needs connecting to other platforms
ProjectWise holds the engineering record for many infrastructure owners and consultancies. That record rarely stays in one place. Contractors deliver in Autodesk Forma or Procore. Owners and principals often mandate Oracle Aconex for correspondence and submissions. The wider business works in SharePoint. Each of those links needs documents, revisions and attributes to move reliably, and doing it by hand across a large estate is slow and error-prone.
Bentley offers its own integration platform, Bentley Enterprise Connection Services (BECS), which its public material describes as connecting Bentley engineering products with enterprise systems such as SAP and Maximo. Connections between ProjectWise and competing CDEs are a different need, and that is where a vendor-neutral service fits.
Connecting ProjectWise to each platform
Each pairing has its own pattern. ProjectWise and Autodesk Forma usually connect consultant or authority environments with contractor delivery projects, with environment attributes mapped to Forma custom attributes. ProjectWise and Oracle Aconex often link a design estate with an owner's document register. ProjectWise and Procore connect engineering documents with construction teams. ProjectWise and SharePoint make the engineering record available to commercial, legal and operations staff without a ProjectWise licence.
CDE Sync™ handles all four through the same wizard and can connect more than two platforms in one configuration. Our guides cover the details: ProjectWise and Forma, Aconex and ProjectWise and ProjectWise and SharePoint.
How to set up ProjectWise enterprise connections, step by step
List the ProjectWise datasources and the platforms each one needs to connect with.
For each connection, agree the folders, document types and direction with the other party.
Collect the ProjectWise environment attributes and the fields on each receiving platform.
Create service accounts in ProjectWise and on each connected platform.
Connect the platforms in the CDE Sync™ wizard and map attributes to fields, including ISO 19650 naming and status.
Pilot each connection on a small folder and confirm versions and metadata on both sides.
Roll out across the estate using the agreed patterns, and monitor through the audit log.
Managing connections across an estate
An enterprise approach means more than connecting one project. Owners with large ProjectWise estates benefit from standard patterns, such as a template mapping for every contractor using Forma, or a standard SharePoint publishing structure for every project. Patterns make new projects quicker to connect and keep metadata consistent across the portfolio, which matters for asset handover and long-term record keeping. A central information manager can then see every connection, its status and its audit history in one place.
Supporting handover and operations
For asset owners, the value of connecting ProjectWise extends past delivery. When contractors deliver in other platforms, a connected estate means handover information arrives in ProjectWise with consistent attributes, ready for operations and maintenance teams. It also means the owner can keep an independent copy of every connected project with CDE Backup™, and capture completed projects with CDE Archive™ into its own Azure. That gives the owner a complete, searchable record of its assets, whichever platforms were used to design and build them.
Security for ProjectWise estates
ProjectWise estates often hold sensitive infrastructure information. CDE Sync™ streams files directly between platforms without storing them, encrypts data in transit and processes it in the Azure region you choose. Utopia Digital holds SOC 2 Type II and Cyber Essentials. See the Security Trust Portal and the global data region map. Utopia Digital is independent and not affiliated with Bentley Systems.
ProjectWise and the Utopiaverse™
Connecting ProjectWise across your platforms brings it into the Utopiaverse™, Utopia Digital's connected record in your own Azure. CDE Sync™ keeps platforms aligned, CDE Backup™ keeps independent copies, CDE Migrate™ handles platform changes and CDE Archive™ captures completed projects. AI Insights then searches ProjectWise content alongside every other platform. The ProjectWise integration page has more, and BECS vs CDE Sync™ compares the options.
See ProjectWise connected in the monthly live demo, or talk to the team about your estate.
