Full Sail Partners Blog | human resources

Connecting your HR system to Deltek Vantagepoint isn't about automation as a concept. It's about stopping the duplicate entry, preventing the slow data drift you don't notice until it's a problem, and eliminating the quiet reconciliation work that eats an hour here and two hours there every payroll cycle.

When firms start looking at integrating ADP, Paylocity, BambooHR, or UKG with Deltek, the questions are usually pretty practical: What's actually supported? What's real-time? What breaks? What happens when something fails? And how much of what vendors say is engineering versus marketing?

We had many great questions from firms during our webinar on the topic, How to Successfully Integrate Your HCM and HRIS Systems with Deltek. We’ve gathered those, along with additional common questions we receive, to create a resource where we have the opportunity to help you better understand how the Blackbox Connector can simplify your world.

So, here are your answers. 

What We Support Today

These platforms are running in active production environments right now: ADP, Paylocity, BambooHR, and UKG Pro (via Reports-as-a-Service / RaaS).

When we say "supported," we don't mean we've read the documentation. We mean authentication has been validated, the relevant endpoints are known, data models have been mapped, multi-company logic has been handled, and batch behavior has been tested under real failure conditions — not hypothetical ones. We've seen what breaks. We've already built around it.

What Can Be Built (But Needs Scope First)

Paycom and UKG Direct API (non-RaaS) are technically viable but we’ve not had the opportunity to work with a client yet to build connectivity to these solutions.

For these, we follow the same process we use for any custom connector: review the API documentation, confirm authentication methods and required scopes, identify the data objects that actually matter (employees, orgs, PTO, deductions, direct deposit), work out the transformation requirements inside Deltek, and then build and test deliberately. High-level review first. Endpoint validation next. Proof-of-concept only after viability is confirmed.

If the API holds up, we build it. If it doesn't, we find out before anyone wastes money.

A Note on UKG Specifically

UKG RaaS and UKG Direct API are not the same thing, and we won't lump them together on a bullet list just to make a slide look cleaner.

RaaS is report-driven — structured, predictable, and stable. It works well for employee and payroll synchronization. Direct API opens more flexibility, but it requires deeper endpoint validation, a closer look at authentication, and sometimes more back-and-forth with UKG's own support teams. The technical lift is meaningfully different and want our clients to know that upfront.

"Real-Time" Isn't Always What It Sounds Like

Take Paylocity webhooks as an example. Webhooks are often incomplete — they tell you something changed, but they don't always include every changed field in the payload.

So rather than trusting the webhook blindly, we treat it as a trigger. It fires, we pull the full authoritative employee record via API, validate and transform it, and push only what actually needs updating to Deltek. That approach prevents the subtle drift that tends to show up in fields like supervisor assignments, org changes, or status updates — the stuff that quietly causes problems downstream.

You can also run scheduled syncs or trigger a full on-demand sync inside Deltek whenever something needs correction. That combination of scheduled automation and manual override is intentional. When payroll calls with a discrepancy, you shouldn't have to wait until midnight.

PTO: Where It Lives vs. Where It's Needed

In most firms, PTO accrues in the HRIS but resource planning and approvals happen in Deltek. If those two systems aren't aligned, someone is manually reconciling balances — probably more often than they'd like to admit.

A properly designed connector pulls PTO balances from the HRIS and reflects them in Deltek so planning and approvals are always working off current numbers. The goal isn't to duplicate data. It's to make ownership clear and visibility consistent.

Bidirectional Sync: When It Makes Sense

Integration doesn't have to move in one direction. Some firms need Deltek's employee numbers or company assignments pushed back into the HRIS to stay aligned across multi-company environments.

The question isn't really "can it go both ways?" Most things can. The real question is who owns each field. Once that's defined, direction is just a technical detail.

Employee Transfers Between Companies

When someone moves from one company to another, most firms don't want to terminate them, rehire them, and rebuild their history. That creates artificial breaks in reporting and headaches that show up months later.

A well-built integration respects Deltek's architecture — creating new EMCompany records via API and preserving continuity without manufactured disruptions. This is exactly where sloppy integrations create long-term accounting pain.

What Happens When Batches Fail?

Most vendors skip this part entirely.

Integrations post and update in batches. When a batch fails, every record in that batch stays queued for retry. That's not a workaround — that's the design. Future runs re-attempt those records until they process successfully. The goal is zero silent data loss.

If you're evaluating integration vendors, ask them directly how they handle partial failures. The answer will tell you quickly whether you're looking at a durable system or a polished demo.

When the API Isn't Clean

APIs are ideal. Not every system cooperates.

When necessary, we support secure file-based transfers via SFTP and staged processing. The pattern stays the same regardless: fetch, stage, validate, transform, commit in controlled batches, retry when needed. Boring is good. Predictable is better.

The Part That Actually Matters

A successful HRIS-to-Deltek integration isn't defined by which logos appear on a capabilities slide. It's defined by whether failed batches retry cleanly, whether data ownership is actually defined, whether multi-company logic is handled properly, whether you have an on-demand option when something needs correction, and whether security — especially around payroll and banking data — is treated seriously.

Get those things right and integration becomes operational infrastructure. Get them wrong and you feel it every single payroll cycle.

Let’s Get Your Systems Talking

Whether you’re using Paylocity, ADP, Paycom, or another HRIS platform, the Blackbox Connector for Deltek Vantagepoint is the fastest, most secure way to unify your HR and ERP data.

👉 Want to explore what’s possible for your firm? Contact our team at Info@Blackboxconnector.com

Fostering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEI&B) is not just a moral imperative but a strategic necessity for project-based firms. DEI&B creates environments that go beyond just diversity and inclusion, aiming to build equitable spaces where individuals feel welcomed, valued, and empowered. Surprisingly, not every company has a DEI&B initiative in place. Let’s review the core aspects of DEI&B, and what implementation strategies firms can use to promote these values.

Diversity

Diversity, the first pillar of DEI&B, acknowledges the variety of human characteristics and identities within a group or organization. It goes beyond just race and gender, encompassing various aspects that we don’t always think about such as age, ability and disability, socio-economic status, religion, nationality, and many more. In the context of project-based firms, where collaboration and innovation are key, recognizing and embracing diversity is especially important. Recognizing this is the foundation for fostering an environment where each team member's strengths and talents can thrive, ultimately contributing to the overall success of the projects and the organization.

Equity

Equity is about ensuring fairness, impartiality, and justice in the treatment of individuals, particularly in environments with historical disadvantages. Project-based firms need to actively address systemic biases, structural inequalities, and discriminatory practices. Achieving equity in a company involves creating policies and procedures that reward based on personal merit, ensuring everyone has an equal chance to succeed no matter what groups they may belong to.

Inclusion

Inclusion is the creation of environments where all individuals feel welcomed, respected, and valued. In project-based firms, inclusive practices involve actively embracing diversity and fostering a sense of belonging. This means creating spaces where people of diverse backgrounds, identities, and perspectives can thrive, express themselves authentically, and engage in meaningful collaboration without fear of discrimination.

Belonging

Belonging is the newest addition to DEI&B. It goes beyond diversity and inclusion, addressing individuals' emotional and psychological need to feel connected and respected within their professional environments. The feeling of belonging involves creating spaces where people can bring their whole selves to work, form genuine connections, and contribute to a collective identity and purpose.

Importance of DEI&B to Project-Based Firms

Beyond being morally imperative, DEI&B is crucial for project-based firms for several reasons: Fosters Positive Employee Engagement: DEI&B creates a positive and inclusive work culture, leading to higher employee engagement and satisfaction. Drives Innovation: Diverse teams bring a variety of perspectives and ideas, driving innovation and problem-solving in project-based settings. Broadens Talent Pool: Embracing diversity expands the talent pool, bringing in individuals with different skills, experiences, and viewpoints. Maintains Competitive Advantage: Companies with diverse teams often outperform their peers, maintaining a competitive advantage in the market.

Methods to Foster DEI&B in the Workplace

We’ve seen why DEI&B is important, but how do we go about putting these systems in place? Here are several ways that project-based firms can implement various initiatives to foster DEI&B:

• Diverse Hiring Practices: Actively seek diverse candidates and create inclusive hiring processes. Remember to look deeper into the categories we don’t always recognize, like nationality, socio-economic status, and age.
• Training and Education: Provide ongoing training on diversity, equity, and inclusion to enhance awareness and understanding.
• Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): Establish ERGs to provide support, networking, and mentorship for underrepresented groups.
• Flexible Work Policies: Implement flexible work policies to accommodate diverse needs and promote work-life balance. This can include options for hybrid and fully remote work.
• Leadership Development: Invest in leadership development programs that prioritize diversity and inclusion.
• Diversity Metrics & Accountability: Establish measurable goals and hold the organization accountable for progress.
• Employee Engagement Activities/Events: Organize activities and events that encourage diversity and promote inclusion. These can be as simple as company mixers, sporting events, or other group activities.
• Promotion of Diversity in Content and Marketing: Ensure that marketing materials and content reflect the diversity within the organization.

Making Diversity Programs Effective

Initiating diversity programs can be challenging, but it is essential for the success of DEI&B. Companies need to do three things in order to make an effective diversity program.

1. First, you must recognize the full spectrum of diversity. As we’ve talked about already, not all aspects of diversity are easy to see. Understand that diversity encompasses various categories beyond gender and race, including gender identity, age, ability, religion, political beliefs, and socioeconomic status.
2. Second, embed DEI&B in the company culture. Company culture is many things: the embodiment of a company’s values, its mission, and even its environment. DEI&B should be ingrained in the philosophy of the company.
3. Finally, appoint DEI&B Leaders. Designate a group responsible for DEI&B programs and initiatives to ensure focused attention and progress. This group does not necessarily have to be management, instead, a dedicated team or individual can ensure focused attention and steady progress in promoting diversity and inclusion within the organization.

Conclusion

Embracing and valuing the concepts of DEI&B in project-based firms not only aligns with social responsibility, but also drives positive organizational outcomes. By actively fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, project-based firms can create environments where individuals thrive personally and professionally, ultimately contributing to the success and innovation of the organization. To learn even more about DEI&B and how Full Sail Partners is helping firms with this initiative, check out the replay of our LinkedIn Live by clicking the image below.

As a project management software, Deltek Vantagepoint offers many capabilities for managing projects and teams. One of the most important aspects of managing a project is ensuring that the team is able to work together seamlessly. This is where Deltek Vantagepoint's integration with ADP Workforce Now comes in. 

ADP Workforce Now is a human resources management system that offers a variety of features for managing employee data. By integrating Deltek Vantagepoint with ADP Workforce Now, organizations can take advantage of both systems' capabilities to manage projects and people more effectively. 

From the moment of first hire, you can keep your employee data in sync with the ADP Workforce Now Connector for Deltek Vantagepoint. This allows for a single source of truth with the need for only a one-time data entry occurrence. 

The integration between Deltek Vantagepoint and ADP Workforce Now allows organizations to: 

• View employee data from both systems in one place 
• Update employee information in both systems from one central location 
• Create and manage employee profiles from either system 

One Source of Truth for Core Employee Information 

With this integration, there is one single source of truth for the origin or updates of core employee information. By having one point of entry, duplication of entry and possibility of errors is reduced.   

Because ADP has a self-service portal, employees can update information as they need to in their record, and the Blackbox Connector will pick up the changes on the next scheduled synchronization, which is set based on your business needs.   

If an update to a single employee record is needed sooner than the scheduled synchronization, then that record can be synchronized on demand via a Workflow button within the Employees Hub in Deltek Vantagepoint. 

You Decide What Information Is Mapped Between Systems 

With the initial setup process, you will assist with a mapping exercise that will determine which fields in ADP are mapped to their respective fields within Deltek Vantagepoint. If there is a field within ADP that has a respective field within Vantagepoint then the Blackbox Connector can pick it up. Example standard mappings include: 

• Workers in ADP are inserted or updated within the Employees Hub in Deltek Vantagepoint. 

• Degrees in ADP can be mapped to the Degrees/Education grid within Vantagepoint. 
• Skills in ADP can be mapped to the Skills grid in Vantagepoint. 
• Licenses in ADP map to the Licenses grid in Vantagepoint. 
• Emergency contacts are mapped to the Emergency contacts grid in Vantagepoint.   
• PTO balances can be taken from ADP and mapped into Vantagepoint.  

• Cash Disbursement GL entries can also be retrieved from ADP and put into Vantagepoint. This process can also automate the upload of payroll data to ADP. 

Easily Adapts as Your Business Adapts 

As your business evolves, no code changes are needed. If you add custom fields or change relationships between ADP columns and Deltek Vantagepoint columns, dynamic mapping is available within the Blackbox Connector. This drag and drop process includes advanced mapping capabilities if they are needed. 

No More Flat Files with This API-Driven Connector 

The Blackbox Connector connects ADP and Deltek Vantagepoint via API. This means that all Employee synchronizations are done electronically, which eliminates the need for flat files and overnight processes. To restrict the impact on your system, only records that are newly created or changed within ADP are brought across during synchronization. Your synchronization can be scheduled multiple times per day. 

The Benefits Are Clear 

The benefits of the Blackbox Connector between ADP Workforce Now and Deltek Vantagepoint are clear: 

• By having a single source of truth, duplication of entry and errors are reduced.   
• With the interval based scheduled or on demand synchronizations, you stay up to date with your staff information. 
• This enterprise grade technology is being offered at reasonable prices and comes with the full support of the Full Sail Partners’ team of Deltek experts. 

• The Blackbox Connector is also future-proof which alleviates any fear of upgrades or changes. All of that is handled for you.   

The integration between these two systems makes it easy for organizations to manage their projects and teams more effectively. By being able to view and update employee information in one central location, organizations can save time and resources. 

To see the Deltek Vantagepoint Blackbox Connector for ADP Workforce Now in action click the image below.