Setting up the BambooHR integration for Forecast

⏱️ 3 minute read

The BambooHR integration automatically syncs approved employee time-off directly into Forecast. By feeding this data into your resource heatmap, you gain accurate, real-time visibility for project planning. This creates a single source of truth, eliminating the hassle of double data entry and keeping your team's availability effortlessly up to date.

This article covers:

Setting up an integration user
Setting up the BambooHR integration

Setting up an integration user

BambooHR API keys share the exact same permissions as the user who creates them. By setting up a dedicated integration user, you can safely restrict Forecast's access to only the necessary data. This also prevents your integration from breaking if an employee leaves the company and their BambooHR account is deactivated.

To set up an integration user

Log in to your BambooHR account.
From the left-hand menu, select the People section and click + New Employee.
Enter a recognizable name for the user account, such as "Forecast Integration User".
In the Work Email field, input an email address you have access to. (Tip: You can use an email alias, like myusername+forecastintegration@mydomain.com).
Navigate to the Job tab and assign a start date.
Click Save.
Click the gear icon in the top-right corner to open your settings.
Select Access Levels from the menu.
Click the + icon next to the Levels header.
Select Custom Access Level.
Enter a recognizable name for the access level (e.g. "Forecast Integration") and click Next Step.
On the What this Access Level Can Do screen, leave all checkboxes empty.
Click Next Step.
Select See About other Employees.
Under the Personal tab, click the dropdown menu on the right (this typically defaults to All Fields are set to No Access).
Change the dropdown selection to View Only.
Repeat this process under the Time Off tab, changing its dropdown to View Only as well.
Select the See About Themselves.
Check the box next to Yes, Allow Access.
Choose Equal Access from the dropdown menu.
Check the Can Request Time Off for box, and then select All Current And Future Time Off Categories.
Click Save & Finish.
Click + Add Employees.
Select the integration user you created earlier and click Done.
Click the ellipsis (...) to the right of the integration user's name and select Reset User's Password.
Click Reset Password.
Check your email inbox for a message from BambooHR and follow the instructions to set up a password.