Permissions & Security - BambooHR

For data security, encryption, and credential storage information that applies across all connectors, see Data & Security - Enterprise Search Connectors.

Our approach to permissions

• The connector requests the minimum set of permissions the BambooHR APIs allow for its functionality, and only read-oriented access wherever the source APIs permit it.

• The connector never writes to or modifies data in BambooHR.

• Credentials are stored encrypted and are never exposed in logs, search results, or the Simpplr UI after initial entry.

• BambooHR API keys inherit the access level of the user who created them. Use a dedicated service account with a least-privilege, read-only custom access level — BambooHR administrator rights are not required. See Understanding the credential scope below.

Credential scope

Auth type: API key (HTTP Basic Auth) — company domain + API key. No password field is required in Simpplr.

The BambooHR service account whose API key you configure must allow the following:

A BambooHR administrator must create the service account, assign the access level, and generate the API key. The service account itself does not need to be an administrator. If you are not an admin, coordinate with one before proceeding to setup.

Understanding the credential scope

API key inherits the creating user's access level

Why it's required: BambooHR API keys are not scoped independently. The key can see whatever the owning user can see in BambooHR.

What the connector actually does with it: Read-only calls to list Company Files, download shared files, and list active employees (including Work Email and Home Email). The connector does not upload, rename, delete, or edit BambooHR content.

Guardrails: Create a dedicated non-employee service user with a custom access level that grants Access company files for every category you want indexed, plus View on Work Email and Home Email only, with no upload rights and no other employee field access. Attach the API key to that user — not a personal admin account used day-to-day.

If not granted: The connector cannot list or download Company Files, and sync fails with an authentication or permission error. Categories the access level cannot see never appear in search.

Company Files categories on the custom access level

Why it's required: BambooHR custom access levels control Company Files visibility per category. Creating a new category in BambooHR does not automatically grant that category to an existing custom access level.

What the connector actually does with it: Lists only the Company Files categories the API key can see, then indexes shared files in those categories (subject to your filters).

Guardrails: Whenever someone adds a new Company Files category that should be searchable, open the connector's custom access level and grant access to that category. Keep upload and e-signature options off.

If not granted: Files in the new category are invisible to the connector and do not appear in Enterprise Search, even when shared with employees.

Work Email and Home Email field access (document-level security)

Why it's required: Email is the identifier Simpplr matches BambooHR employees against. Grant View access under See About Other Employees → Personal → Contact for both Work Email and Home Email. The connector prefers Work Email and falls back to Home Email when Work Email is empty.

What the connector actually does with it: Reads active employee records and resolves an email for permission sync. No write operations. Other personal or compensation fields are neither requested nor required.

Guardrails: Grant View only — not edit — on Work Email and Home Email. Leave other Contact and Personal fields at No Access unless your organisation separately requires them.

If not granted: Content sync can still index files, but permission sync cannot resolve identities. With document-level security on, permission sync fails rather than publishing an empty identity set.

Versions and editions supported

• Supported: BambooHR Cloud (SaaS)

• Not supported: On-premises or self-hosted BambooHR deployments

Permission design

How permissions work

BambooHR does not expose per-file ACL lists for Company Files beyond whether a file is shared with employees. The connector indexes only shared files and applies the following model in Simpplr Enterprise Search.

• Share gate: Files that are not shared with all employees are not indexed.

• Access removal: When a BambooHR employee becomes inactive, they stop receiving identity principals after the next user sync. When a file is unshared or deleted, it stops appearing after the next incremental sync.