Guide to the Common Data Environment (CDE) & BIM

BIM isn’t just a 3D model. As its full name — building information modeling — suggests, BIM encompasses processes, too. It’s a wide-ranging digital effort designed to drive wins on the project in a myriad of ways. 

It’s also a tool. And like any tool, BIM is only useful to the people who have access to it.  That presents a problem because BIM files are often very large — too big to simply email back and forth. And even if they were transferable in this way, since various teams might be working on the model at the same time, they all benefit from having a way to see other stakeholders’ adjustments in real-time. 

That’s why BIM is often deployed alongside a common data environment (CDE). 

CDE 101

A common data environment is exactly what it sounds like: a digital space in which data lives. 

Per standard 19650 3.3.15 published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a CDE is an “agreed source of information for any given project or asset, for collecting, managing, and disseminating each information container through a managed process.” (Earlier in that standard, the ISO defines “container” as any “named persistent set of information retrievable from within a file, system, or application storage hierarchy.”) 

In simpler terms, then, a CDE is a place where team members can digitally access information from files and other sources. 

When using BIM, architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) companies often use CDEs to store the model and all of its associated data in the cloud. This way, various team members and partners can get access.

But CDEs usually don’t stop there. Beyond data specifically integrated into the model, a wide variety of additional information can live in the CDE, including:

• Drawings
• Specifications
• Contracts
• Estimates
• Submittals
• Reports
• Meeting minutes and other communication records
• Reality capture (e.g., photos, videos) from the jobsite

Some AEC companies buy standalone CDEs, while others get access to this environment because it’s integrated with software they use (e.g., built into their BIM authoring tool). 

The Key Value-Add of a CDE: A Central Source of Truth

Technology has promised to deliver efficiency gains. Today, contractors don’t have to wait for a set of plans to be delivered to their office. When the drawings are shared electronically, they can get near-instantaneous access.

With that rapid data sharing, though, comes the risk of a mess. A contractor might save one 3D model to their desktop computer, then work from that model. If they miss a notification about an updated model file, however, any modeling work they do in the now-outdated model could become obsolete. 

Since BIM files are generally so sizable, it’s no surprise that AEC pros don’t want to have to continually download and open new files. In other words, working digitally doesn’t automatically make collaboration seamless. 

That’s probably a big contributor to a somewhat shocking statistic: 96% of engineering and construction (E&C) data goes unused. That’s not necessarily for lack of trying, though. That same report says that E&C pros spend 13% of their working hours looking for project data.  

A CDE offers a way for teams to solve for all of these issues, providing easier, real-time access to the latest data about the project. The more stakeholders that are involved in the project and the more data they need to exchange, the more useful this becomes. 

With a common data environment in which all teams can work, everyone gains a centralized source of truth. They can trust that the model living in the CDE is the most up-to-date version, and that the attached data is true in real time. 

Just as importantly, a CDE builds in data interoperability. That means the data stored there is available to users regardless of the software they may be using. They shouldn’t need any specific platform or app to view the model, for example.

As a central source of truth and a way to deliver data accessibility, the CDE supports project accuracy — and, consequently, success. 

Common Features of Common Data Environments

To make the promises of easier collaboration a reality, CDEs need to have the following features: 

Real-Time Data Availability

One of the biggest advantages delivered by a CDE is the ability for all stakeholders to continually have access to the latest versions of data. Within the environment, if multiple people are working on the model at the same time, all of their updates will be available instantly. This helps to prevent clashes. 

When everyone can rapidly access the most up-to-date information, it eliminates delays in waiting for updates to be published or files to be transferred, too. This helps everyone to move forward more quickly — and in the same direction.  

Versioning

A strong CDE offers version control. That means it tracks changes to files made over time. 

As a result, users should always be able to clearly see the latest version of a file — but also access historic versions. Users can always revert to or compare changes against the previous version of the model should they need. 

Accessibility

Most CDEs are cloud-based, which means that stakeholders can access the data in them anytime from anywhere (provided they have an internet-connected device). That makes the CDE equally available from a desktop in the office and a tablet in the field. 

That’s not the only way CDEs deliver improved accessibility, either. They provide a way for users to see information without specific software, instead offering readable formats for the data stored in the common environment. Since BIM software is generally expensive, the ability to view the model without a high-cost user seat helps to keep all stakeholders aligned. 

Support for Integrations

To deliver that accessibility, CDEs need to be able to integrate with the wide range of technologies AEC professionals use. Specifically, to drive success with BIM, the CDE needs to integrate with any BIM authoring platforms stakeholders use. It might also need to integrate with any additional BIM solutions they have in place, like model-checking software.

Further integration functionality helps support workflows beyond BIM, too. If the CDE integrates with project management software, for example, it allows teams to track submittals and requests for information (RFIs) within the CDE. 

Cybersecurity

Because a broad spectrum of high-value data gets stored in a CDE, protecting that data is key. A good CDE delivers strong cybersecurity. 

Here, CDEs often use role-based access as a key security measure. That means that people have individual logins (ideally, ones with multifactor authentication [MFA]) to access the CDE. 

Whichever stakeholders manages the CDE — usually, the general contractor (GC) or owner — can set access controls based on the user. They might restrict access for a specialty contractor, only allowing them to engage with the parts of the model that pertain to their work. With role-based access, teams get a way to control who can see, download/upload, and edit data within the CDE. 

With role-based access, user activity also gets tracked. In the event of a breach, that makes it possible to see what data was compromised, mitigating the cost of managing the fallout.  

Best Practices for BIM CDEs per ISO 19650

When teams use a CDE to support their BIM processes, they benefit from following best practices. ISO 19650 delivers some guidelines here. This standard comes with the very long title of: “Organization and digitization of information about buildings and civil engineering works, including building information modelling (BIM) — Information management using building information modelling | Part 1: Concepts and principles.”

ISO 19650 stipulates that teams using a CDE for BIM should:

• Have the CDE function as a centralized information repository and single source of truth
• Segregate information in the CDE to best manage the lifecycle of project data (e.g., organizing data into segments for work-in-progress, shared, published, and archived) 
• Control access to information by setting roles and permissions for individual users
• Implement security measures to defend against unauthorized access and protect information integrity
• Have version control functionality
• Provide an audit trail of data and user activities
• Deliver interoperability between different software solutions and systems
• Including mechanisms to validate the quality of the data in the CDE (e.g., compare it against a set standard) before it gets shared or published, and to inform users of its suitability status  
• Assign “unique identifiers” to every information container and follow standard naming conventions

Implementing standard operating procedures (SOPs) when working in the CDE can help companies keep their team members compliant with these best practices. That, in turn, helps the CDE function its best. 

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Using a CDE and BIM To Drive Continuous Improvement

A CDE supports the success of individual projects that use BIM. It gets particularly powerful, though, when used on an ongoing basis. 

With a CDE in place, teams have a way to access — and, more importantly, analyze — historic project data. Reviewing and identifying trends in this information can help with more accurate estimating, scheduling, budgeting, and resource allocation. 

Without a CDE, it can be difficult to pull data and create reports from various past projects. With this centralized source of truth in place, the data is at people’s fingertips. Just as importantly, with versioning and data quality validation in place, they can trust that data, and the results analyzing it yields. 

This, in turn, drives wins. A Dodge Data & Analytics report found that a notable number of contractors who improved data gathering and analysis capabilities saw benefits including an easier time completing projects on budget (53%) and on schedule (36%), greater productivity (47%), greater profitability (46%), better safety (34%), and an improved ability to win new work (26%). 

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