PDS Vista vs. UKG Workforce Central (discontinued)

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
UKG Workforce Central (discontinued)
Score 6.5 out of 10
N/A
UKG Workforce Central (formerly Kronos Workforce Central) was a suite of HR Management offerings targeted mainly at enterprise customers with larger-scale and more complex HR and workforce management issues. The product is discontinued.N/A
Pricing
PDS VistaUKG Workforce Central (discontinued)
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
PDS VistaUKG Workforce Central (discontinued)
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeRequired
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
Community Pulse
PDS VistaUKG Workforce Central (discontinued)
Considered Both Products
PDS Vista
Chose PDS Vista
Vista is much easier to maintain, navigate and train new users than TesserAct. Vista is much easier and less costly to maintain than PeopleSoft.
UKG Workforce Central (discontinued)

No answer on this topic

Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
PDS VistaUKG Workforce Central (discontinued)
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
UKG Workforce Central (discontinued)
-
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
UKG Workforce Central (discontinued)
-
Ratings
Pay calculation8.216 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.39 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.216 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.217 Ratings00 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
UKG Workforce Central (discontinued)
-
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
UKG Workforce Central (discontinued)
-
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
UKG Workforce Central (discontinued)
-
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
UKG Workforce Central (discontinued)
-
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
UKG Workforce Central (discontinued)
-
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
UKG Workforce Central (discontinued)
-
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
UKG Workforce Central (discontinued)
-
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
UKG Workforce Central (discontinued)
-
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
UKG Workforce Central (discontinued)
-
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
Best Alternatives
PDS VistaUKG Workforce Central (discontinued)
Small Businesses
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.0 out of 10
When I Work
When I Work
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
Calabrio Teleopti WFM
Calabrio Teleopti WFM
Score 7.8 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
PDS VistaUKG Workforce Central (discontinued)
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(23 ratings)
6.7
(38 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
(7 ratings)
5.0
(11 ratings)
Usability
8.2
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.5
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.2
(3 ratings)
7.1
(8 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(2 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.3
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
PDS VistaUKG Workforce Central (discontinued)
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
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Discontinued Products
This product was marketed to us as a school and several schools in our area use the program. However, the implementation team we were set-up with had limited school experience and we are still working on the best way to do some of the timekeeping issues where I know that could have been handled better. That being said from a payroll and reporting side it has been great to capture so much data (at times almost too much) and have the system do automatic allocations of salaries and general ledger reports. The reporting takes some getting used to, but overall I've been able to run reports to see and track just about anything I want. Our employees also love the self service compared to our previous products where they can make W4, direct deposit and other updates on their own without having to get HR involved.
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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.
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Discontinued Products
  • I personally feel like timekeeping is very well thought out and has some powerful tools built in. There is a bit of a learning curve but with strategically placed SMEs we were able to get the use and functionality we needed out of the system.
  • Workforce planning has been crucial in planning operational support in our retail and customer service centers. It is also editable and modifiable as needed.
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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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Discontinued Products
  • Reporting - some of the reports' names do not coincide with the data that is pulled from the system
  • System errors - the system crashes regularly on us with no real explanation why
  • Punch accuracy - sometimes the punches from the timeclocks do not feed into the system
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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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Discontinued Products
Now that the system is installed and operational, the "pain is gone"...therefore we see no reason to change to a different application. There is no functionality that is missing from the system that would drive us to consider another solution at this time. Maintenance support from Kronos is sufficient and updates occur regularly.
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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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Discontinued Products
No answers on this topic
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
Discontinued Products
Having no experience with Kronos prior to using it in March 2016, their customer service team taught me how to use it the right way after my initial training at work. I am well-versed in data analysis using Excel and Access primarily, so once I discovered that Kronos had a reporting feature built in, I've used the feature quite a few times to help our properties evaluate their production costs and make good labor decisions. I give Kronos a 10 because once a person takes the time to learn how to use the software, they'll realize that Kronos is far more effective than most, and gives users more ways to access their information where and when they want to.
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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
Discontinued Products
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.
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Discontinued Products
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.
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Discontinued Products
Kronos and Dayforce are the two timekeeping systems I’ve worked with in recent years. Kronos feels a little more comprehensive and is my primary timekeeping tool both for myself as well as my staff. Kronos is a great tool for a wide range of shifts, working locations, and pay codes. In this context, I would pick Kronos over Dayforce. On the opposite side, Dayforce is extremely user-friendly and has a “cleaner” user interface if that is a contributing factor for anyone. Also, for managers who oversee large teams (30-50 team members) then Dayforce is a bit more simple to approve time cards, hours, and leave. Kronos is a bit clunky with all the clicks, and managing large teams of hourly employees would be a huge time suck to go in to review/approve all.
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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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Discontinued Products
  • Kronos is much more expensive than the previous systems we were using, so at this point the ROI is negative. The idea is that it will allow us to scale and grow the company more easily so time will tell if that is the case.
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ScreenShots