Does Vista in the Cloud Use APIs?  What Integration Mechanisms Are Available?

Author: Eric Vasbinder

IMPORTANT

Are you looking to Integrate Vista with a Commercial solution?

If so, please check this page to see if it is already supported:  Specific Integrations.  If your desired integration is not listed, please have the vendor of the solution in which you are interested follow the steps listed in the following cloud FAQ article:  https://sites.google.com/trimble.com/vista-cloud-faq/home/integration-technology/request-new-integration-support

If you instead want to integrate a home-grown solution into Vista, please read on through this article.

Overview

Viewpoint's Vista ERP has been in existence in its current form for nearly 20 years, bringing power and reliability to accounting and project management operations in the construction industry.  Vista was designed from the very beginning to have a highly flexible and extensible nature, allowing for significant internal customization and integration capabilities.  The integration framework for Vista has been designed around communications with and extensions to Vista's own Microsoft SQL database, allowing for hundreds of third party integrations to Vista, and nearly infinite customization.

Over the years, the integration methods that we support into Vista have increased in number and complexity.  As of 2024, we support the following five integration methods into Vista in our cloud, listed in recommendation order:

Specific Methods

As of today, the main mechanisms for integration and customization in Vista include:

1. AppXchange:  This powerful solution has a set of "low code" tools to build integrations and workflows that are ready to go for use by contractors and third party integrators:  https://appxchange.trimble.com/

2. DataXchange:  This method uses the powerful integration solution set and cloud-based API created originally as part of the Ryvit product.  Please see here for more details:  https://dataxchange.trimble.com/integrations/viewpoint-vista/api

IMPORTANT FOR NEW INTEGRATIONS:
If the two above solutions do NOT support the endpoints you need, please reach out to your AppXchange / DataXchange representative to confirm if those endpoints might be added to the support matrix and if so, the timeline estimated.  Only if support for the endpoints you need will not be possible in AppXchange / DataXchange, should the below options be considered.

3. Viewpoint API:  This direct API allows customers to integrate into a small, defined data set workflow items.  Please note that this Viewpoint API is no longer being actively developed but is still available for customer convenience.  Please use our DataXchange solution where possible.

   1. Documentation is here:  https://integrations-qa.centralus.cloudapp.azure.com/swagger/index.html

4. Custom user defined (UD) fields and tables:  Located in the Vista database, along with custom forms, stored procedures, triggers, and views, these methods provide ways to extend the Viewpoint Vista data structures.

5. ODBC:  A direct database connection to the Vista database, allowing third parties, customers, and more to directly query and modify Vista tables and views.  This method requires direct visibility to the Vista database.  In our cloud this visibility requires the TLS Database Endpoint (TLS VPN) (PREFEERED) or an IPSEC VPN tunnel to achieve.

   1. NOTE:  DataXchange is much more preferred as compared to straight ODBC.  That said, ODBC will be supported for the foreseeable future.  We have no plans to remove support for ODBC.

6. CSV and Excel Import files:  manual and automated pickup directory scanning for imports coming in via standardized file types, tied to what we call, "IM Import Templates"

What About APIs?

When most people refer to APIs in today's context, they are referring to Web Services REST-based APIs.  These types of APIs take discrete business logic and expose those over standard port 443 endpoints, allowing for a very simple and easily maintainable integration experience.  REST APIs are most common with recently developed SaaS applications.  Vista DOES support REST based APIs through either DataXchange (PREFERRED) or the legacy Viewpoint API.