Systems and records
Deltek Vision to Vantagepoint: what project history to migrate
By SourceX Editorial · Updated
Short answer
What Deltek Vision history to migrate depends first on the path: an upgrade usually converts the existing database, while a reimplementation loads only what you choose. When choosing, carry active projects and the closed projects staff use for fee estimates and qualifications, with labor and billing detail, and archive the rest in a readable copy.
Key takeaways
- Confirm first whether your move is an upgrade that converts the existing database or a reimplementation that loads selected data.
- Closed projects used for fee estimating, staffing benchmarks and proposal qualifications belong in Vantagepoint with their labor detail.
- General ledger, payables and old pursuit records can usually be summarized or archived, with the full detail kept in a Vision archive.
- Stale CRM contacts and activity logs are better cleaned or archived than carried forward.
- Keep Vision readable after go-live until reconciliations, the first year-end close and any audit are complete.
Upgrade or reimplementation: the decision that sets the scope#
The scope of a Vision to Vantagepoint move is set by whether your firm upgrades the existing database or reimplements from a clean start. Deltek positions Vantagepoint as the successor to Vision, and an upgrade path generally converts the existing database, so most history comes along by default. A reimplementation, often chosen alongside a move to the cloud or a redesign of the organization structure or work breakdown, means deciding what to load.
Ask your Deltek partner which path applies to your version and hosting, and write the answer into the project plan. An upgrade still leaves decisions: which custom fields, screens, reports and workflows to rebuild, and whether to clean data before conversion rather than after. A reimplementation turns every module into a carry-or-archive decision.
Either way, check Deltek's current support policy for your Vision version. An unsupported version is a reason to finish archive work early rather than leave it until the old server is due for retirement.
Carry or archive: a module-by-module table#
For each Vision module, carry what staff use in daily work into Vantagepoint and archive the full history in a readable copy. Each Vision area holds records with a different shelf life: some are read every day, some only at year-end, and some only when a dispute or audit arrives. Name an owner for each row so decisions are signed off, not assumed.
| Vision area | Carry into Vantagepoint | Archive in full | Who decides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Projects and work breakdown | Active projects and closed projects used for estimating or qualifications | Every project record, including abandoned and pursuit projects | Managing principal and project managers |
| Timesheets and labor | Hours by employee, phase and task for carried projects | All labor transactions and timesheet approvals | Controller with operations leaders |
| Expenses and consultants | Open items and recent detail for carried projects | Full expense and consultant invoice history | Controller |
| Billing and invoices | Open invoices, billing terms and recent invoice history | Every invoice, draft billing and write-off | CFO or controller |
| Receivables and payables | Open balances and retainage | Full transaction and payment history | Controller |
| General ledger | Opening balances and summarized prior periods | Full journal detail | CFO with the outside accountant |
| Proposals and opportunities | Open pursuits and the won-lost history used for go or no-go decisions | All pursuit records and attached proposals | Marketing lead and principals |
| CRM contacts and activities | Current clients, consultants and active relationships | Stale contacts and old activity logs | Business development lead |
| Employees and HR | Current employee records, rates and titles | Former employee records under the retention schedule | HR lead |
How much closed-project history does Vantagepoint need?#
Vantagepoint needs as much closed-project history as your staff use to price, staff and win the next project. Fee estimators look up comparable projects to see hours by phase. Project managers check how a similar job was staffed. Marketing pulls past project descriptions, fees and team members for qualifications packages.
Apply a usage test rather than a calendar cutoff. If a closed project type still appears in proposals or estimates, carry it with labor detail. If a project type is no longer pursued, or a studio has closed, its history can live in the archive with a lookup route for the rare question.
- Carry: closed projects in current market sectors, with hours by phase and employee.
- Carry: projects cited in recent qualifications, award submissions or client references.
- Carry: repeat-client history used in relationship and account reviews.
- Archive: discontinued service lines, closed offices and one-off projects.
- Archive: pursuit records for prospects that never became clients.
What gets lost when history is summarized#
Summarized history loses the detail that explains how a project actually ran. A project carried as a single total for fees billed and hours spent can no longer show which phase overran, which employees did the work, or where write-offs happened.
Labor detail is the most common casualty and the most expensive to rebuild. Effective multipliers, realization by phase and staffing benchmarks all depend on it. Billing detail matters too: carry only invoice totals and you lose the record of which items were billed, held or written off, and why.
If your firm does government work, overhead rate support may rely on transaction detail. Ask your outside accountant which records must stay available in detail before you decide to summarize anything.
Keep Vision readable after cutover#
Keeping Vision readable after cutover means having a copy of the data a person can query without the old application running. A read-only Vision environment is the simplest option while reconciliations and the first year-end close are underway, but it carries server, security and licensing costs that grow the longer it runs.
For the long term, most firms combine a full database backup, a reporting copy staff can query with ordinary tools, and standard reports exported to PDF or spreadsheets. Document the table structure and custom fields while someone who knows the Vision setup is still on staff.
- Full Vision database backup, stored with its version number and a restore note.
- Reporting copy of the database, or exported tables with keys intact.
- Project, labor, billing and receivables reports exported for every closed fiscal year.
- Attached documents and proposal files, with a map back to project numbers.
- Notes on custom fields, user-defined tables and report logic.
Illustrative: a civil engineering firm sets its migration rules#
Illustrative: a fictional civil and environmental engineering firm is moving from an on-premise Vision server to Vantagepoint in the cloud. The CFO wants a lean start; the managing principal worries about losing the project history that drives fee estimates for municipal water work.
Because the firm is also redesigning its organization structure, its Deltek partner recommends a reimplementation, which turns every module into a decision. The firm carries every project in current markets with full labor detail by phase and employee, trims CRM contacts to active relationships, and loads opening balances with summarized general ledger history. Pursuit records for a closed survey practice go to the archive.
Before switching off the old server, the controller builds a reporting copy of the Vision database and exports year-end reports for each closed fiscal year. When a former client later disputes an old invoice, the billing detail comes from the reporting copy, not from a spreadsheet rebuilt from memory.
Where archived project history fits beyond the archive#
Archived Vision history is more than a compliance copy when it links projects, labor, proposals and outcomes. Structured records of how a firm scoped, staffed and delivered work can interest AI developers building tools for professional services. In the SourceX Enterprise Data Value Framework, a methodology SourceX developed rather than an industry standard, domain expertise, human-generated signal, recency and rights each raise value, while privacy burden and preparation cost reduce net value.
SourceX starts with a fit check that uses metadata only: system names, years of accessible history and record families. No files leave the firm at that stage. Client-owned deliverables and confidential client material are carved out in the Rights step of the SourceX five-step transaction before anything is prepared, and any license leaves ownership of the records with the firm.
Frequently asked questions
Do Vision custom fields and screens carry into Vantagepoint?
Custom fields often convert on the upgrade path, but custom screens, reports, dashboards and workflows may need to be rebuilt or redesigned. Inventory every customization before the project starts, mark which ones staff still use, and retire the rest rather than rebuilding them by default.
What should we do with closed projects that still have open receivables?
Carry them. A project with an open invoice, unpaid retainage or a disputed balance needs its billing and receivables detail in Vantagepoint so collections can continue. Close or write off what you can before conversion, and flag the rest so a cutoff rule does not filter it out.
Who should sign off the history decisions?
The CFO or controller should sign off financial modules, the managing principal and project managers should sign off project and labor history, and the marketing or business development lead should sign off proposals and CRM. Record each decision in the migration plan so later questions have an answer.
How long should we keep the old Vision server running?
Keep it at least until the first reconciliations are complete, the first year-end close in Vantagepoint is done and any audit has finished. After that, a reporting copy and exported reports usually replace the live server. Your retention schedule, not the migration timeline, decides how long the archive itself is kept.
Should proposal documents move with the opportunity records?
Move the documents for open pursuits and recent wins that marketing reuses. Older proposal files can stay in the archive, as long as each file keeps a reference to its opportunity and project number so it can be found when a similar pursuit comes up.
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