Engineering and architecture
Capital program software: exporting e-Builder, Kahua and similar histories
By SourceX Editorial · Updated
Short answer
An e-Builder data export, like a Kahua or similar PMIS export, starts with one question: whose instance is it? If the owner runs the instance, the owner controls the export and the records. If the firm runs its own, export cost, contracts, workflows, documents and the audit trail together, with record IDs intact, before the subscription ends.
Key takeaways
- Program managers working in an owner's PMIS instance do not control its export or its records.
- A useful archive keeps record IDs that link cost items, contracts, workflow steps and documents.
- Workflow history and audit logs are often harder to export than documents, so confirm routes early.
- Read the subscription's termination and data return terms before announcing a platform change.
- Only the firm's own instance history, or records an owner releases in writing, can be considered for licensing.
Who controls an e-Builder or Kahua history?#
Control of an e-Builder or Kahua history follows the instance, and many program management firms work inside instances their owner clients license and administer. In that case the owner's administrators decide what can be exported, and the records are the owner's program records, even when the firm's staff created most of the entries.
Some firms also run their own instance, on these platforms or on others such as Oracle Primavera Unifier, to manage programs for private clients or their own internal work. There the firm's administrators hold export permissions, but client contracts still govern the client program records stored inside.
Sort every program into one of three groups before planning anything. Each group has a different path, and mixing them is the most common way firms end up holding records they cannot use.
| Instance | Who controls the export | What the firm can usually keep |
|---|---|---|
| Owner's instance | Owner's administrators | Copies the contract allows, such as its own reports and correspondence |
| Firm instance, client program | Firm administrators, under the client contract | An archive for the firm's file; any reuse needs client consent |
| Firm instance, internal work | Firm administrators | Full history, subject to the vendor's terms |
Export checklist by record family#
A capital program history holds several record families, and each needs its own export route and its own check that links survive. Work through them in this order, because cost and contract records give the keys that the other families point to.
Note what the platform does not hold. Pay application backup may sit in an accounting system and detailed schedules in a scheduling tool, with only summaries in the PMIS. List those outside sources beside the export so the archive does not look more complete than it is.
| Record family | Examples | What to capture |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Budgets, commitments, change orders, pay applications, forecasts | Line items with IDs, status history and links to contracts |
| Contracts | Agreements, amendments, insurance certificates, closeout items | Executed files plus contract register fields |
| Workflows | Approval routings, step comments, due dates, escalations | Each step with actor role, timestamp and outcome |
| Documents | Drawings, reports, correspondence, meeting minutes | Files with folder paths, versions and uploader |
| Audit trail | Field changes, deletions, permission changes | The full log with record references |
| Schedules | Program schedules, milestones, baselines | Native schedule files and milestone tables |
| Issues, RFIs and submittals | Questions, responses, review comments | Item records linked to documents and workflows |
- 01Your work records
- 02Personal details removed
- 03You approve the release
- 04Licensed to AI developers
Export routes to confirm with the vendor#
Export routes vary by platform, plan and configuration, so confirm each one in the vendor's documentation and your subscription agreement rather than assuming. The usual options to ask about are listed below, and the answer may differ for each record family.
Ask specifically about workflow history and audit logs. Documents and cost tables are usually the easiest to get out; the step-by-step approval record that explains why a change order was approved is often the hardest, and it is the part that shows how a program was actually managed.
Record each answer with the date and the vendor contact who gave it. Documentation and support staff change during a long export, and a written trail avoids repeating the same questions.
- Built-in report and list exports to spreadsheet or CSV formats.
- Bulk document download that keeps folder structure and versions.
- API access for records, workflow steps and audit logs.
- Vendor-assisted archive or data extract services, which may carry fees.
- Read-only or archive access after the active subscription ends, if offered.
Keep the links between records#
Links between records are what make a PMIS history worth keeping, and flat exports break them. A change order means little without the contract it modifies, the workflow that approved it and the backup documents reviewers saw.
Export record IDs in every table and keep them as stable keys. Capture the configuration as well: custom fields, workflow definitions, status values and the role list, so a reader can interpret a step labeled with an internal code. Store a short data dictionary beside the export.
Test the archive before the old system goes dark. Pick a handful of closed change orders and confirm that each one can be traced from the cost line to the approval steps to the documents using only the exported files.
Read the subscription terms before announcing a switch#
The subscription agreement sets the clock for any export, so read its termination, data return and fee provisions before telling the vendor the firm is leaving. Some agreements provide a window after termination to retrieve data; others make vendor-assisted exports a paid service or limit the formats offered.
Plan the export to finish well inside whatever window applies. Large document libraries take time to download and verify, and a failed trace test late in the process is far easier to fix while the platform is still fully available.
Illustrative: a program management firm changes platforms#
Illustrative: a fictional program management firm runs capital programs for corporate real estate owners and industrial clients, partly inside clients' instances and partly in its own. It plans to move its own work to a new platform.
The operations lead sorts programs by instance. For client instances, the firm requests copies of its own reports and correspondence as its contracts allow, and leaves everything else with the owners. For its own instance, it exports cost, contract, workflow, document and audit tables through reports and the API, and downloads documents with their folder structure.
A trace test on closed change orders shows that workflow step comments did not come through the standard report. The firm requests a vendor-assisted extract before the subscription ends. Its archive now holds the full approval history, but only the internal portfolio is considered for any later licensing review; client programs stay in the firm's file under their contracts.
What a firm can license from capital program histories#
A firm can consider licensing only the capital program history it controls: its own internal programs, and client program records the client releases in writing. Approval workflows, change order reasoning and cost forecast revisions show how experienced program managers make decisions, which is why they interest AI developers. Public owners' program records may also be subject to public records laws and agency rules, one more reason to leave owner-instance data with the owner.
SourceX handles this through the SourceX five-step transaction. Supply maps instances and record families, Rights separates owner-controlled records from the firm's own, Preparation removes personal and confidential details, Approval puts the final package in front of the firm, and Delivery happens from the firm's storage or on encrypted drives. The SourceX Evidence Packet records provenance, licensing rights, permitted use, the privacy record and release authorization.
Frequently asked questions
Can a program manager export data from the owner's instance?
Only as the owner permits. Even with technical access, exporting an owner's records for the firm's own purposes would usually exceed the contract. Ask the owner in writing for the copies the contract allows, such as the firm's own reports and correspondence, and keep the request on file.
What file formats should a PMIS archive use?
Use open, durable formats: CSV for tables, PDF or the native format for documents, and plain text for the data dictionary. Avoid formats that need the old platform to read them. Keep native schedule files too, with a note of the software and version used.
Do we need the audit trail if we already export the documents?
Yes, if you want the archive to explain decisions. Documents show what was approved; the audit trail and workflow steps show who changed what and when. For disputes and for understanding how the program was run, that record often matters more than the final files.
Should we migrate history into the new platform instead?
Migrating active programs makes sense, but closed history often loses detail in migration because workflow definitions and fields differ between platforms. Many firms migrate open work and keep a separate archive of closed programs in open formats.
Who should own the export project?
An operations lead should own it, with a system administrator running the exports and a principal signing off on scope. Legal review is needed where client contracts or owner instances are involved. One accountable owner keeps the export from stalling between IT and project teams.
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