In the previous installment of our ERP Integration Series, we explored how Cost Management in Forma Build integrates with Sage 300 via Agave to connect project and accounting workflows.
Now, we're turning our attention to Viewpoint Vista.
If your organization relies on Vista as its ERP system, this installment is for you.
In this video, Ryan Ward, Customer Solutions Engineer at Agave, demonstrates how Cost Management and Viewpoint Vista work together to streamline financial workflows, improve visibility into project costs, and keep field and accounting teams in sync.
Watch the video below to see how Cost Management and Viewpoint Vista connect through Agave, including live demos of data syncing in both directions.
This session walks through three key areas:
Agave enables bi-directional data syncing between Cost Management and Viewpoint Vista, giving teams flexibility in how they manage their workflows.
In most cases, core data such as vendors, customers, jobs, phase codes, and cost types originate in Vista and sync into Cost Management. Budgets, on the other hand, are often created in Cost Management and then pushed into Vista.
Because syncing can happen in both directions, teams can decide which system serves as the source of truth depending on how they operate.
On the accounts payable side, project teams typically manage purchase orders, subcontracts, subcontract change orders, and cost pay applications in Cost Management. These then sync into Vista for accounting.
At the same time, job cost details captured in Vista flow back into Cost Management, ensuring that project teams always have up-to-date cost information.
On the accounts receivable side, contracts often originate in Vista and sync into Cost Management. From there, project managers manage owner change orders, pay applications, and budget transfers in Cost Management before syncing updates back to Vista.
This structure allows each team to work in the system that best fits their role while keeping data aligned across both platforms.
In the first demo, Ryan walks through how vendor records move from Vista into Cost Management in Forma Build. Since Vista is typically the system of record for vendor data, that's where information such as W-9 details, tax IDs, addresses, and contact information is maintained.
Using Agave, you can pull the latest vendor records from Vista and sync them directly into Forma. Once synced, the vendor information appears in Cost Management with the relevant details already populated, helping ensure both systems stay aligned.
Next, the walkthrough covers how budget segments such as cost codes and cost types sync from Vista into Cost Management in Forma Build.
Project-specific phase codes and cost types are fetched from Vista and pushed into Cost Management, where they become part of the project’s cost structure. These elements serve as the foundation for tracking budgets, commitments, and costs throughout the project lifecycle.
The integration also supports additional flexibility, including syncing project-level or company-level cost codes and different formats for cost types.
The workflow then shifts direction, showing how budgets move from Cost Management in Forma Build into Vista.
Budget line items created in Cost Management are pulled into Agave and pushed into Vista, where they appear with the same values in the ERP’s estimating module. Teams can choose to sync original or current budget values, along with additional data like quantities or hours, depending on how budgets are structured.
While the demo shows the process manually, Ryan notes that "the purpose of Agave is to turn on automatic syncing," allowing vendor updates to flow between systems in the background with little ongoing effort from your team.
Once configured, Agave enables automatic background syncing, reducing the need for manual intervention. This helps ensure that both systems stay aligned in real time without requiring users to manage data transfers directly.
The integration extends beyond budgets and commitments to support owner-side workflows as well.
Prime contracts can originate in either Vista or Cost Management in Forma Build, giving teams flexibility while ensuring the latest contract information stays synced across both systems.
Project managers gain visibility into contract data without having to rely on accounting teams for updates, and budget line items can automatically be associated with schedules of values based on phase codes.
For owner change orders, project managers typically manage the entire process in Cost Management, from the initial PCO through execution. Once approved, Agave syncs the change order data to Vista, generating or updating contract line items as needed. The integration also separates revenue and cost data by cost code or cost type and supports syncing attachments, helping keep financial records aligned across systems.
Accounts receivable workflows are also streamlined through the integration.
Project managers can draft and manage pay applications within Cost Management in Forma Build, using built-in approval workflows. Once approved, these are synced into Vista as AR invoices, where they reference the appropriate contract line items.
Retention values flow through during this process, and invoices can be automatically posted once synced, reducing manual processing and shortening the billing cycle.
Job cost data plays a critical role in keeping financials aligned.
All job cost details recorded in Vista can be synced into Cost Management in Forma Build, so project teams have access to current cost data. The integration also prevents duplicate records by filtering out overlapping transactions, ensuring clean, accurate data across both systems.
This session wraps with answers to common questions about the Vista integration.
Does the integration support both on-premises and cloud versions of Vista?
Yes. Agave supports both on-premises and cloud deployments of Viewpoint Vista. The team also provides guidelines for enabling access to both.
How do multiple Vista companies connect to Autodesk Forma?
Organizations with multiple Vista companies can connect them to the same Autodesk Forma hub. Agave sets up separate configurations for each company, each mapping one Vista company into the same Autodesk hub.
How do prime contracts work between Vista and Forma?
Prime contracts can originate in either Vista or Cost Management in Forma Build. The integration allows budget line items to be associated with contract items through a contract item and phase code link. This can happen in either direction.
What commitment types are supported?
The integration supports all commitment types.
How is the general ledger (GL) populated on commitments?
For commitment records, the general ledger account is populated from the ledger account associated with the cost type.
Are commitment attachments synchronized?
Yes. Commitment attachments can be synced between systems.
What counts as a job cost, and what details do you have on syncing job costs?
Any record included in Vista's job cost (JC) detail can be synced to Cost Management in Forma Build as a job cost.
How does the integration prevent duplicate job costs?
When syncing job costs from Vista, Agave automatically filters out JC detail records associated with subcontract invoices or purchase order invoices that may already exist elsewhere in the workflow.
What this means for your team
By connecting Forma Build with Viewpoint Vista, organizations can eliminate manual data entry and ensure that project and financial data stay aligned.
Project teams gain access to the financial insights they need to manage work proactively. Accounting teams maintain confidence in financial records and reporting. And leadership teams benefit from a more complete understanding of project financial health across the organization.
We've now explored how Forma Build integrates with both Sage 300 and Viewpoint Vista to support connected financial workflows.
Next up, we're turning our attention to CMiC.
If your organization relies on CMiC as its ERP platform, you won't want to miss the next installment of our ERP Integration Series. We'll take a closer look at how Forma Build and CMiC work together through Agave, highlighting the data flows, workflows, and integration capabilities that help keep project and accounting teams aligned.
Watch the full video above to see the Viewpoint Vista integration in action and follow the series for more deep dives into ERP integrations powered by Agave.
To learn more about how our latest releases can benefit your teams, reach out and schedule a demo to learn more.
