Establishing a Connection

Configure a Connection Profile

From the CData ribbon, click Get Data and select From Bullhorn CRM connection/s to launch the CData Query window. To setup a new connection, you will have to click the New Bullhorn CRM Connection button. Here you can set the connection settings, test the connection, and save the connection profile.

Pre-connection Requirements

Unlike many other data sources, Bullhorn CRM doesn't allow users to create their own custom OAuth applications or edit their CallbackURL directly. Instead, you must contact Bullhorn CRM and request that they create or change your OAuth application credentials (Client Id and Client Secret).

Bullhorn CRM also provides or updates your CallbackURL as needed. However, since waiting for a new CallbackURL from Bullhorn CRM may be a time-consuming process, we recommended that you consider using an OAuth verifier code to connect instead of a CallbackURL. Once Bullhorn CRM has provided your OAuth credentials, you can use them to authenticate your application.

Connecting to Bullhorn CRM

You'll need your username and password to authenticate and access your account. Follow these steps to ensure a successful connection:

Use your account credentials to log in to your Bullhorn CRM account.
Set the DataCenterCode in your application settings to the code that corresponds to your data center. For a full list of data center codes, refer to the list here.

Notes:

If you are uncertain about your data center code, note that codes like CLS2, CLS21, etc. are cluster IDs that are visible in the URL in your browser's address bar once you are logged in. For example, https://cls21.bullhornstaffing.com/BullhornSTAFFING/MainFrame.jsp?#no-ba... indicates that the logged-in user is associated with data center CLS21.
If you specify a CallbackURL such as http://localhost:33333/, ensure it is exactly the same as what you specify in your application settings. This includes any trailing slashes ("/"). Any addition or removal of characters from this URL will result in an error.

Authenticating to Bullhorn CRM (OAuth)

Bullhorn CRM supports OAuth authentication only. Unlike many other data sources, Bullhorn CRM doesn't allow users to create their own custom OAuth applications or edit their CallbackURL directly. Instead, you must request Bullhorn CRM to set up a custom OAuth application for you. This involves contacting Bullhorn CRM support to initiate the setup process. For information about how to create a custom OAuth application for Bullhorn CRM, see Creating a Custom OAuth Application.

The following subsections describe how to authenticate to Bullhorn CRM from three common authentication flows.

For a complete list of connection string properties available in Bullhorn CRM, see Connection.

Desktop Applications

To authenticate your desktop application, use one of the following options: using a verifier code or a custom CallbackURL. While using a custom CallbackURL is more straightforward, it requires you to contact Bullhorn CRM directly to request changes to it, which can be a time-consuming process. Therefore, we highly recommend using a verifier code instead. Although the setup is slightly more involved, it streamlines the authentication process.

Option 1: Using a verifier code

To start the authentication process with a verifier code, construct your authorization URL. This URL is what triggers the OAuth process where the output generates a unique code, which is essential for obtaining access tokens that enable secure interactions between your application and Bullhorn CRM.

Retrieving an OAuth verifier code

Construct your Authorization URL as follows: https://<authorization URL for your data center>/oauth/authorize?client_id=<your OAuth Client Id>&response_type=code
- For example, if you have data center "CLS40", the URL used for authentication is: https://auth-east.bullhornstaffing.com/oauth/authorize?client_id=<your OAuth Client Id>&response_type=code
- Refer to the list here to find the authorization URL specific to your data center code.
Next, open your authorization URL in a browser.
Log in and grant permissions to the add-in. You are redirected to the CallbackURL, which contains the verifier code. The URL format is: https://www.bullhorn.com/?code=<verifiercode>&client_id=<clientid>
Save the value of the verifier code directly from the URL.

Get and refresh the OAuth access token

Once you have retrieved the OAuth verifier code, the next step is to use it to obtain and manage your OAuth access token. This token allows your application to authenticate and interact securely with Bullhorn CRM. Configure the folllwing settings:

OAuthVerifier: The OAuth verifier code.
DataCenterCode: The data center your account is connected with. Find the list of the data centers here.
OAuthClientId: The Client Id that was assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
OAuthClientSecret: The Client Secret that was assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
CallbackURL: The redirect URI that was defined when you registered your custom OAuth application.

Option 2: Using a custom CallbackURL

If you prefer using a CallbackURL (for example, http://localhost:33333), contact Bullhorn CRM and request that they configure your chosen URL as the authorized endpoint for OAuth callbacks. Once Bullhorn CRM confirms that your CallbackURL is set up, proceed to configure your application with the following settings:

CallbackURL: The custom CallbackURL provided by Bullhorn CRM.
DataCenterCode: The data center your account is connected with. Find the list of the data centers here.
OAuthClientId: The Client Id that was assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
OAuthClientSecret: The Client Secret that was assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.

Connection Properties

The Connection properties describe the various options that can be used to establish a connection.

Managing Connections

After successfully authenticating to Bullhorn CRM you will be able to customize the data you are importing. To learn more about this, see Managing Connections.

Excel Add-In for Bullhorn CRM