Migrate from CATS to Bullhorn ATS & CRM

CATS Candidates map directly to Bullhorn Candidate records. We extract all standard fields (firstName, lastName, email, phone, address, status, source) plus any CATS custom field values. CATS candidate status values (Active, On Hold, Dead) map to Bullhorn Candidate status using a mapping table defined during scoping. Candidate source attribution (LinkedIn, Referral, Job Board) migrates to the Bullhorn candidateSource field. Bullhorn requires a valid Candidate record before any linked activities can be imported, so Candidate import runs first in all phases.

CATS Job Orders map to Bullhorn JobOrder records. The CATS Job Order title, description, status, department, and internal ID migrate to Bullhorn JobOrder title, description, status, and externalID. CATS pipeline stage assignments map to Bullhorn JobOrder Record Type and status values; we configure these as Bullhorn Record Types during the pre-migration phase. JobOrders without an assigned recruiter in CATS receive a default Bullhorn Owner resolved from the user mapping.

CATS Activities (calls, emails, notes, interviews) linked to candidates and job orders migrate to Bullhorn Task and Event records. Call activities map to Task with TaskSubtype=Call and CallDurationInSeconds preserved. Email activities map to Task with Subject, Body, and direction (inbound/outbound) preserved. Meeting activities map to Bullhorn Event with StartDateTime, EndDateTime, and Location. Notes map to Task with IsTask=false. All activities retain the original CATS timestamp for timeline ordering and link to the Candidate or JobOrder via the Bullhorn targetEntityID and targetEntityType fields.

CATS custom fields on Candidates and Job Orders require Bullhorn Custom Object configuration before migration. Bullhorn Support must create each Custom Object via a spreadsheet submission (one per entity type, up to 10 on Front Office Growth/Enterprise, 2 on Bullhorn ATS, 0 on ATS Growth). We scope all CATS custom field names, types (text, dropdown, date, checkbox), and values during discovery, then coordinate with Bullhorn Support to provision the equivalent Custom Objects. Each Custom Object supports up to 55 fields, split across edit types (checkboxes, dropdowns, pickers, and free text). Custom field values migrate as Custom Object instance records linked to the parent Candidate or JobOrder.

CATS user accounts (name, email, role, department) map to Bullhorn User records by email match. We extract the full CATS user roster and resolve each email address against the Bullhorn User table. Any CATS user without a matching Bullhorn User goes to a reconciliation queue for the customer's Bullhorn admin to provision before record import. OwnerId references on Candidate, JobOrder, and Activity records are resolved at migration time from this user mapping. Reducing CATS seats post-migration requires separate account management steps outside migration scope.

CATS pipeline stages (New, Screening, Interview, Offer, Hired, Rejected) map to Bullhorn Candidate Record Types and Candidate status values. We extract the current CATS pipeline configuration during discovery and create corresponding Bullhorn Record Types (e.g., Direct-Hire Pipeline, Contract Pipeline) with status picklists that whitelist the mapped stage names. Stage ordering and probability percentages migrate to Bullhorn Candidate status configurations. If the CATS instance has multiple pipelines, each becomes a separate Bullhorn Record Type.

CATS tags (free-text or pre-defined) on candidates migrate to Bullhorn Candidate Tags. Tags are stored as comma-separated values in CATS and split into individual Bullhorn Tag records linked to the Candidate. If the customer's Bullhorn edition limits tag functionality, we map tags to a multi-select custom text field on the Candidate Custom Object as a fallback. The customer chooses the strategy during scoping.

Candidate source values in CATS (LinkedIn, Referral, Job Board, Indeed, etc.) migrate to Bullhorn Candidate.candidateSource. If the destination Bullhorn instance uses a restricted picklist for candidateSource, we map CATS values to the nearest matching Bullhorn value and flag any unmapped sources for the customer's admin to add to the picklist.

CATS file attachments (resumes, cover letters, portfolios) linked to candidates migrate as Bullhorn ContentDocument records with ContentDocumentLink associations to the Candidate. We pull attachments via the CATS export tool or API, preserve original file names and MIME types, and upload them to Bullhorn's document storage. The ContentDocumentLink links the file to the Candidate (or JobOrder) record with ShareType='V' (viewer access). Bullhorn's storage limits depend on the edition; we flag any customer approaching storage thresholds before migration.

CATS departments categorize job orders and sometimes users. We export the department list and recreate it in Bullhorn as either Bullhorn Company records (if the department represents a client organization) or as a custom text field on JobOrder (if it represents an internal division). The customer chooses the strategy during scoping. Department-user assignments migrate as part of the user mapping if the department structure maps to Bullhorn organizational roles.

CATS workflows govern record routing, email triggers, and status-change automation. Workflows are application configuration, not data, and cannot be exported from CATS. We document every active CATS workflow during discovery (trigger conditions, actions, recipients) and deliver a written workflow-mapping deliverable that maps each CATS workflow to a recommended Bullhorn workflow equivalent (Bullhorn's native workflow engine, email automation rules, or Bullhorn Marketplace automation tools). The customer's Bullhorn admin rebuilds the rules post-migration.

CATS reporting data (time-to-fill, source effectiveness, pipeline metrics) is derived from transactional records and not stored as a standalone data object. We do not migrate reporting snapshots. The customer's Bullhorn admin configures equivalent reports in Bullhorn using the migrated transactional data as the source. Bullhorn Enterprise includes advanced reporting dashboards; Bullhorn Team and Corporate include standard reporting. We provide a report-mapping deliverable listing the CATS reports in use and their Bullhorn equivalents.