PDS Vista vs. Sparkrock

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
PDS Vista
Score 6.2 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Vista® is a human resource, benefits, payroll, recruiting, and self-service software. Functional elements include recruitment, staffing, position and training management, compliance, and performance and compensation.N/A
Sparkrock
Score 9.0 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
Sparkrock’s cloud-enabled solution helps organizations manage their finance and accounting, human resources and payroll, human services case management, and donor and fundraising activities. According to the vendor, key benefits and features include: Finance Management with capabilities to help organizations increase transparency and reduce risk. Workforce Management to help front-line employees deliver services to clients, with tools that help them to be…N/A
Pricing
PDS VistaSparkrock
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
PDS VistaSparkrock
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup fee$50,000 per installation
Additional DetailsLicense pricing is based on the number of full and part-time active employees within bands (e.g. 751-1,000). SaaS pricing is based on PEPM.
More Pricing Information
Features
PDS VistaSparkrock
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
7.7
18 Ratings
2% below category average
Sparkrock
-
Ratings
Employee demographic data9.017 Ratings00 Ratings
Employment history9.018 Ratings00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration9.014 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.012 Ratings00 Ratings
Organizational charting7.013 Ratings00 Ratings
Organization and location management7.016 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)6.011 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
8.0
18 Ratings
0% below category average
Sparkrock
9.4
3 Ratings
26% above category average
Pay calculation8.216 Ratings9.03 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.39 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.216 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.217 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.213 Ratings00 Ratings
Reimbursement management8.25 Ratings00 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
8.2
13 Ratings
2% above category average
Sparkrock
-
Ratings
Approval workflow8.27 Ratings00 Ratings
Balance details8.213 Ratings00 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment8.212 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
7.1
17 Ratings
13% below category average
Sparkrock
-
Ratings
View and generate pay and benefit information8.216 Ratings00 Ratings
Update personal information7.314 Ratings00 Ratings
View company policy documentation7.38 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee recognition7.25 Ratings00 Ratings
View job history5.84 Ratings00 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
7.3
7 Ratings
6% below category average
Sparkrock
-
Ratings
Tracking of all physical assets7.37 Ratings00 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
8.0
16 Ratings
5% above category average
Sparkrock
-
Ratings
Report builder8.014 Ratings00 Ratings
Pre-built reports8.016 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data8.013 Ratings00 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
7.3
1 Ratings
9% below category average
Sparkrock
-
Ratings
New hire portal7.31 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
5.8
2 Ratings
34% below category average
Sparkrock
-
Ratings
Corporate goal setting5.52 Ratings00 Ratings
Individual goal setting5.52 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance tracking6.42 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
7.3
4 Ratings
8% below category average
Sparkrock
-
Ratings
Performance plans7.32 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance improvement plans7.31 Ratings00 Ratings
Review status tracking7.32 Ratings00 Ratings
Review reminders7.23 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple review frequency7.32 Ratings00 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
3.6
1 Ratings
75% below category average
Sparkrock
-
Ratings
Create succession plans/pools3.61 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate ranking3.61 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate search3.61 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate development3.61 Ratings00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
2.5
3 Ratings
102% below category average
Sparkrock
-
Ratings
Job Requisition Management3.13 Ratings00 Ratings
Company Website Posting3.13 Ratings00 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention1.92 Ratings00 Ratings
Applicant Tracking2.33 Ratings00 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts2.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
-
Ratings
Sparkrock
10.0
2 Ratings
32% above category average
API for custom integration00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Plug-ins00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
-
Ratings
Sparkrock
9.5
5 Ratings
16% above category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings9.05 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
-
Ratings
Sparkrock
9.0
4 Ratings
25% above category average
Dashboards00 Ratings9.03 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings9.03 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
-
Ratings
Sparkrock
8.8
5 Ratings
14% above category average
Accounts payable00 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Accounts receivable00 Ratings9.05 Ratings
Global Financial Support00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Configurable Accounting00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Standardized Processes00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
-
Ratings
Sparkrock
9.3
2 Ratings
17% above category average
Inventory tracking00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Automatic reordering00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Location management00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Subledger and Financial Process
Comparison of Subledger and Financial Process features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
-
Ratings
Sparkrock
9.6
1 Ratings
26% above category average
Billing Management00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Cash and Asset Management00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Travel & Expense Management00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Budgetary Control & Encumbrance Accounting00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Period Close00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Project Financial Management
Comparison of Project Financial Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
-
Ratings
Sparkrock
9.4
1 Ratings
21% above category average
Budgeting and Forecasting00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Project Costing00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Cost Capture00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Capital Project Management00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Customer Contract Compliance00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Project Revenue Recognition00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Grants Management
Comparison of Grants Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
-
Ratings
Sparkrock
9.3
1 Ratings
21% above category average
Award Lifecycle Management00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Procurement
Comparison of Procurement features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
-
Ratings
Sparkrock
9.6
1 Ratings
32% above category average
Bids Analyzed and Compared00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Contract Authoring00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Contract Repository00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Requisitions-to-Purchase Orders Integrated00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Supplier Management00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Supply Chain
Comparison of Supply Chain features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
-
Ratings
Sparkrock
9.3
1 Ratings
25% above category average
Forecasting00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Inventory Planning00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Performance Monitoring00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Best Alternatives
PDS VistaSparkrock
Small Businesses
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.0 out of 10
Acumatica
Acumatica
Score 8.7 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Infor VISUAL
Infor VISUAL
Score 7.2 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
SAP Business ByDesign
SAP Business ByDesign
Score 7.4 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
PDS VistaSparkrock
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(23 ratings)
9.0
(9 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
(7 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Usability
8.2
(2 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Availability
9.5
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.2
(3 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.3
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
PDS VistaSparkrock
Likelihood to Recommend
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
As Vista HRMS is fully customizable to suit your needs, a company should determine if they have a current employee who can do the work themselves otherwise they will need to consider the additional cost of asking PDS to do the customizations for them. There are additional modules that we aren't currently making use of, but each company should learn about the functionality of each of them as some may be more beneficial than others. When gathering your questions, ask all potential users of the system what they would want to see in an HRMS. We did so before selecting Vista HRMS and we got pages and pages of questions and comments and made sure that each item was addressed beforehand and was something that we would be able to incorporate into the system. You have the option of taking the system in house or being a hosted client. Make sure you figure out what resources your IT department has available. If you have a dedicated administrator who will do all the upgrades and enhancements great, otherwise you may need PDS to help out and having PDS host may be a better option
Read full review
Sparkrock
For all companies that want to improve the performance of their employees and increase productivity, this software helps all daily business tasks to be executed on time efficiently and smoothly. A very useful program that's why we don't stop using it.
Read full review
Pros
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
  • Vista HRMS is very flexible, it does everything we need for HR, benefits and payroll. It’s user-friendly and intuitive to use, when we roll out new self-service items our employees have no problems and require minimal training or documentation.
  • PDS has excellent customer service and support. We get answers to the majority of our questions and problems quickly, within the day that we call. More complex issues that may require PDS’ technical support are usually addressed within a few days. We were upgrading our production servers to Windows 2012 over a weekend and a key person in our organization was on leave. When we checked with PDS to see what cost would be involved if we needed their help, they said it was included in our regular maintenance, no extra cost.
  • The PDS User’s Conference is an excellent learning opportunity for training on everything Vista does, including using Crystal Reports for custom reporting. You also get to meet and talk to the executive and development staff and have direct input into the future product development.
Read full review
Sparkrock
  • Data collection - the system is robust and we can tailor it to collect the information we need.
  • Easily configurable - the system is easy to configure to meet our specific business needs.
  • Reporting and data extraction - the system allows for easy access to information that helps inform business decisions.
Read full review
Cons
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
  • Typical of any system built for the unknown requirements of hundreds or thousands of customers with varying needs, PDS sometimes doesn't fit our processes precisely out of the box. However, this con is far outweighed by the ability to configure and customize the system.
  • The most significant pet peeve of our users is the necessity for so many clicks to navigate between different areas or the system or to review applicants. These items are being addressed based on feedback from the user community in an upcoming release.
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Sparkrock
  • Many of the improvements are being met with each upgrade. Altus Dynamics has an idea portal that customers can add ideas to and vote on other customer ideas. This means that most issues that come up are resolved with each new upgrade.
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Likelihood to Renew
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
I feel so invested in Vista HRMS that I don't really want to try other options. I know we as an organization are not using this product to it's full potential and that is just due to us lacking the resources to be able to invest the time into breaking it apart and making it work to the best ability for us. The system works great as is, but there are a lot of implementations we can put into place to help us out even more. For example, we would love to start using Workflow to create more efficiencies. I personally have a very good relationship with our hosted vendor who supports Vista HRMS and can help me with any issues and concerns, this is a big part of the reason that I would renew with this product and continue to be an advocate for Vista HRMS.
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Sparkrock
We are already scheduled for our upgrade to NAV 2016 beginning in May 2016.
Read full review
Usability
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
The interface is intuitive, even if it does require some extra clicks to get to where you are going. The screens are consistently designed and formatted. There is a logical flow and organization to the application layout and menuing systems.
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Sparkrock
Complete workflow management to keep up to date and orderly the daily activities of employees. Allows for seamless cash flow, invoicing, general ledger, payroll, and inventory.
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Support Rating
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
PDS has excellent customer service and support. We get answers to the
majority of our questions and problems quickly, within the day that we
call. More complex issues that may require PDS’ technical support are
usually addressed within a few days
Read full review
Sparkrock
Complete tracking of employee performance, hours worked, attendance and absences, vacations, and overtime.
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Online Training
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
The resources and online tools that PDS provide are extremely thorough and helpful in our training and learning.
Read full review
Sparkrock
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
Ask lots of questions, ensure you fully understand the functionality (particularly history records) and train, train, train the users for correct and complete utilization of the system.
Read full review
Sparkrock
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
I've used Peoplesoft HCM in the past. The products have some similarities, but they are marketed to different sized companies, so it's a bit of apples to oranges. Peoplesoft was very complex and challenging to manage and support. Vista HRMS should require fewer technical resources and still provide robust features for HR and Payroll. We selected Vista HRMS because it met the majority of our requirements and was priced to enable us to purchase and implement it within our budget. Also, it's an integrated system (although not truly one system when you count Vista Time) which is an improvement over our current state.
Read full review
Sparkrock
  • Real-time data that is available at our fingertips
  • Flexibility of the system to address changing needs over time
  • Elimination of the huge administrative burdens that we were experiencing as a result of the previous system due to lack of integration
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Return on Investment
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
  • Positive impact would definitely be self-service for both employees and managers to view and update selected data.
  • Through some analytics our managers are able to track turnover for their site/department by many criteria (length of service, reason, etc) and can view a number of other analytical reports such as headcount and demographics which help them to make informed decisions about their department.
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Sparkrock
  • As a technician it's hard for me to say what effect the ROI has had on our organization, however our finance team seems satisfied on it. We look forward to deploying the staff dashboards for better financial tracking throughout our whole organization.
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ScreenShots

Sparkrock Screenshots

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