Beyond small active-candidate imports, SuccessFactors to Greenhouse is an API-first ETL project focused on preserving candidate, application, attachment, and stage relationships across incompatible data models.
A technical guide to migrating from SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting to Greenhouse — covering OData extraction, Harvest v3 rate limits, entity mapping, and edge cases for CTOs.
Read this first
Pair-specific gotchas that catch teams out. Each one has cost somebody a weekend.
Greenhouse Harvest API v1 and v2 will be deprecated and unavailable after August 31, 2026
Build your migration pipeline against Harvest v3 (OAuth 2.0) from day one. Do not build on v1/v2 only to rewrite months later. (support.greenhouse.io)
Greenhouse's support docs are inconsistent on bulk-import tier availability
One article lists the feature for Core, Plus, and Pro, while another says Plus/Pro only. Verify entitlement in your tenant before designing your cutover around the UI importer. (support.greenhouse.io)
SuccessFactors Recruiting OData entities like JobRequisition and JobApplication are template-driven
The available fields depend on your RCM template configuration and may not appear in the OData API Dictionary if there are misconfigurations in RCM templates or Recruiting Settings. Verify entity availability before building your pipeline.
Custom integrations not enrolled in the Greenhouse Partner Program may be subject to
Custom integrations not enrolled in the Greenhouse Partner Program may be subject to stricter rate limits. Confirm your limits by checking the X-RateLimit-Limit response header on your first API call.
Custom fields on the Greenhouse Application object are gated by subscription tier
Greenhouse's own support articles conflict on exactly which tiers support Application custom fields. Verify in your tenant before finalizing field mappings — if your tier doesn't support them, the API will silently drop the data. (support.greenhouse.io)
Greenhouse's POST
Add Candidate and POST: Add Candidate Application can return truncated responses before the full record is available. Re-fetch created records by ID before chaining dependent operations like application creation or attachment upload.
The runbook
Work top to bottom. Tick steps as you go — your progress is saved in this browser.
01 Discovery Scope candidates, pipelines and the compliance obligations that come with them.
Objective Agreed scope across candidates, applications, jobs and interview history, with legal signed up on retention.
Keep these open
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Inventory every object in SAP SuccessFactors
Count candidates, applications (a candidate can have many), jobs and requisitions, interviews, scorecards, offers, and resume files. Applications and scorecards usually outnumber candidates several times over, and resume files dominate storage.
Data Profiler Get real record counts instead of estimating from memory -
Settle retention and consent with legal
Candidate data is heavily regulated: GDPR right-to-erasure, EEOC/OFCCP record-keeping, and per-region retention windows that conflict with each other. Decide what may be migrated at all before you scope anything else — this frequently shrinks scope substantially.
Migrating candidate records whose consent has lapsed or whose retention window has expired creates a new compliance breach in the target system.
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Map the hiring pipeline and agree the target stages
Document every job's pipeline, stage, and rejection reason, then agree the Greenhouse model with talent leadership. Stage definitions drive every funnel metric you report, so changing them silently rewrites your hiring analytics.
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Catalogue integrations and the job-board estate
List job boards, careers-site integration, HRIS, background check, assessment platforms, calendar and email. The careers site and job boards are customer-facing, so their cutover needs its own plan and its own testing.
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Build the business case and choose the window
Model licence delta, effort and recruiter productivity dip. Time the window against your hiring cycle: a migration during peak graduate recruitment or a hiring surge will fail on people, not technology.
Vendor Evaluator Score Greenhouse against alternatives on weighted criteria -
Rebuild interview plans and scorecards
These are configured per Job in Greenhouse and cannot be migrated — they must be set up manually or via API.
SAP SuccessFactors → Greenhouse specifics
- Dedicated ATS vs. HRIS recruiting module
- SuccessFactors Recruiting is a module within an HRIS suite. It's powerful for enterprise HR but imposes overhead for teams that only need a focused applicant tracking system. Greenhouse is purpose-built for structured hiring — scorecards, interview kits, approval workflows, and offer management are first-class features, not bolt-ons.
- Structured hiring enforcement
- Greenhouse forces hiring managers to define scorecards and interview plans before a job goes live. SuccessFactors supports configurable workflows but doesn't enforce evaluation consistency with the same rigor.
- Integration ecosystem
- Greenhouse's open API and partner network give recruiting teams flexibility to connect sourcing tools, assessments, and HRIS systems without SAP's middleware stack.
Don't move on until
- Counts confirmed for candidates, applications, jobs and offers
- Retention and consent obligations confirmed with legal
- Hiring-stage model agreed with talent leadership
02 Data Audit Audit candidate data with compliance sitting next to you.
Objective Profiled exports with duplicates, expired records and resume files all quantified and triaged.
Keep these open
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Export and profile candidates, applications and jobs
Profile each object separately and reconcile against API counts. Watch the candidate-to-application ratio: a mismatch usually means applications have been silently truncated by pagination.
Data Profiler Profile the SAP SuccessFactors export for nulls, outliers and type drift -
Quantify duplicate candidates and agree survivorship
The same person applies repeatedly over years with different emails and name spellings. Measure the duplicate rate and agree survivorship rules — which record wins and what happens to the application history attached to the losers.
Merging candidates without agreed survivorship rules destroys application and interview history that you may be legally required to retain.
Data Cleaner Strip empty rows, stray whitespace and dead columns -
Identify records outside their retention window
Flag candidates whose consent has expired, who have exercised erasure, or who fall outside regional retention. Exclude them from scope and document the exclusion — you need to show the decision was deliberate.
PII & Compliance Scanner Find regulated fields before they land in a new system -
Inventory resume files and attachments
Count files, total volume and MIME types, and check every attachment still resolves to a live URL. Expiring signed download URLs are the classic reason a resume migration completes with a large fraction of empty files.
Resume download URLs are often short-lived signed links. Fetch files close to load time or they will 404 mid-migration.
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Verify relationship integrity
Confirm every application links to a live candidate and a live job, and every scorecard to a real interview. Orphaned applications produce a funnel report that does not tie to anything.
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Clean, normalise and produce masked test data
Normalise emails, phone formats and locations, standardise timestamps to UTC, and generate a masked dataset for the sandbox. Real candidate data in a sandbox is a compliance breach in most jurisdictions.
PII Masker Generate a safe copy for sandbox and vendor testing
SAP SuccessFactors → Greenhouse specifics
- Data cleaning
- Strip invalid characters, normalize phone numbers, validate email formats
- MDF data exports via Admin Center are limited to 500 MB per file
- Larger datasets require SFTP export (up to 1 GB).
- Recruiting OData entities are template-dependent
- The available fields on JobRequisition and JobApplication depend on your RCM template configuration.
- OAuth 2.0 is required
- SAP's documentation directs users to restrict or disable Basic Auth access and use OAuth 2.0 SAML Bearer Assertion grants. (help.sap.com)
- Nonreportable application fields are CLOB data
- OData APIs do not allow setting these properties to null.
Don't move on until
- Duplicate candidate rate quantified with a merge policy agreed
- Records outside retention identified and excluded
- Resume and attachment inventory complete with total volume
03 Field Mapping Map the candidate-application-job triangle before anything else.
Objective A signed mapping covering objects, stages, rejection reasons, scorecards and EEO fields.
Keep these open
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Map the candidate, application and job model
ATS platforms differ on whether a person or an application is the primary record. Establish this first: getting it wrong means one candidate becomes five, or five applications collapse into one, and the entire field map has to be redone.
Candidate-centric and application-centric models are not interchangeable. Confirm which Greenhouse uses before mapping any field.
Schema Mapper Match SAP SuccessFactors fields to Greenhouse by uploading both schemas -
Map pipeline stages and rejection reasons exhaustively
Enumerate every stage and rejection reason across all jobs, including retired values on historical applications, and map each explicitly. Unmapped rejection reasons are both a reporting gap and, in regulated hiring, a compliance one.
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Decide EEO and diversity data handling
These fields are separately regulated and often legally required to be stored apart from the candidate record. Confirm with legal whether they migrate at all, and how Greenhouse isolates them.
EEO data usually cannot be migrated into ordinary custom fields without breaching the segregation rules that govern it.
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Map interviews, scorecards and feedback
Structured scorecards rarely have a native equivalent. Decide whether to reconstruct them, flatten them into notes, or keep them only in the archive — and be explicit that flattening loses the ability to report on them.
JSON to CSV Converter Flatten nested API responses into a reviewable sheet -
Plan resume and file migration
Confirm size limits, MIME support and whether Greenhouse re-parses resumes on upload. Re-parsing can overwrite carefully curated candidate fields with worse machine-extracted values, so test it deliberately.
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Set load order and freeze the spec
Users, then jobs, then candidates, then applications, then interviews and scorecards, then files. Keep source IDs in custom fields, then version and sign off the spec.
SAP SuccessFactors → Greenhouse specifics
- Deduplication
- Merge duplicate Candidate records by email address
- Field mapping
- Convert SF field names and data types to GH equivalents
- Picklist normalization
- Map SF picklist values to GH dropdown options (see Picklist Migration above) — create target options in Greenhouse before loading data
- Relationship reconstruction
- Build the Candidate → Application → Job graph
- Attachment processing
- Download files, base64-encode for GH upload
Don't move on until
- Candidate/application/job model mapped and reviewed
- Every stage and rejection reason explicitly mapped
- EEO and diversity field handling agreed with legal
04 Test Migration Pilot whole candidate journeys, not isolated records.
Objective A sandbox pilot where candidate journeys, funnel metrics and resume files all verify.
Keep these open
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Configure the Greenhouse sandbox with the agreed pipelines
Create jobs, pipeline stages, scorecard templates, user roles and custom fields first. Loading applications before the stages exist puts every candidate in a default stage and invalidates the pilot.
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Select complete candidate journeys as the pilot slice
Take 100-200 candidates with all their applications, interviews, scorecards and files — including repeat applicants, hires, rejections at every stage, and candidates on multiple jobs. Repeat applicants are where the model mapping actually gets tested.
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Run the load in dependency order with logging
Jobs, candidates, applications, interviews, then files, logging each request against its source ID. Track file uploads separately: they fail for different reasons and at different rates than record writes.
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Verify journeys and funnel metrics
Confirm each candidate sits at the right stage on the right job with their history intact, and that per-stage funnel counts match SAP SuccessFactors for the pilot jobs. Funnel mismatches point straight back to stage mapping.
Migration Validation Tool Diff the pilot batch against source before scaling up -
Open every pilot resume and check re-parsing
Actually open the files rather than trusting the upload count, and check whether re-parsing has overwritten any candidate fields. A resume that uploaded as a zero-byte file still counts as a success in most logs.
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Put recruiters in front of the pilot data
Have recruiters work their own pilot requisitions end to end. They immediately spot missing feedback, wrong stages and unreadable history that reconciliation cannot see.
Don't move on until
- Candidate-application-job relationships intact for the pilot
- Funnel counts per stage match source for pilot jobs
- Resume files open correctly for every pilot candidate
05 Cutover Switch recruiting without dropping a live candidate.
Objective All in-scope recruiting data live in Greenhouse, careers site and boards repointed, recruiters working.
Keep these open
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Pre-load historical candidates and closed jobs
Load closed requisitions, rejected candidates and archived applications while SAP SuccessFactors stays live. Only active pipeline and the final delta need to move in the window.
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Publish the runbook including the careers-site switch
A timed sequence with owners and abort criteria, treating the careers site and job boards as first-class steps. They are candidate-facing, so a failure there is publicly visible in a way a data defect is not.
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Freeze SAP SuccessFactors and take the final delta
Stop new applications and let recruiters finish in-flight actions, then export everything changed since the pre-load. Coordinate with anyone actively interviewing so feedback is not entered into the old system mid-freeze.
Interview feedback entered in the old ATS during the freeze is lost, and it is the data recruiters most immediately notice missing.
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Load active pipeline and reconcile stages
Load active candidates and applications, then verify every active candidate is at the correct stage on the correct job before repointing anything. Active-stage accuracy is what recruiters check first on day one.
Migration Validation Tool Confirm the final delta landed before you reopen -
Repoint careers site, job boards and integrations
Switch the careers-site integration, repost or migrate live job ads, and repoint HRIS, background check, assessment and calendar integrations. Then submit a real test application through the careers site and every major board.
Job ads left posted against the old ATS keep collecting applications that never reach the new system.
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Go/no-go and switch recruiters over
Call the decision against the exit criteria, then move recruiters with support on hand for the first day. Keep SAP SuccessFactors read-only — candidate records have retention obligations that outlast the migration.
Don't move on until
- Historical load complete and reconciled before the freeze
- Careers site and job boards posting into Greenhouse and verified
- Active candidates confirmed at the correct stage
06 Validation Prove the funnel, the files and the compliance position.
Objective Reconciled recruiting data, funnel parity with baseline, and a defensible compliance record.
Keep these open
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Reconcile every object including files
Compare counts for candidates, applications, jobs, interviews, scorecards and files, with field-level spot checks on a sample. Count files separately — they are the object most likely to be quietly short.
Migration Validation Tool Reconcile SAP SuccessFactors and Greenhouse record-for-record -
Tie funnel and time-to-hire reporting to baseline
Rebuild funnel conversion, time-to-hire, source effectiveness and offer-acceptance reporting and compare to pre-migration figures. Variances trace back to stage mapping and to how application timestamps were handled.
Time-to-hire depends on stage-transition timestamps. If those were approximated, the metric will differ even with identical records.
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Verify file integrity at scale
Sample-open resumes across the whole load and compare file sizes against source. Zero-byte and truncated files are common and never surface in an upload success count.
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Confirm retention, consent and EEO configuration
Verify retention rules, consent state and EEO segregation are correctly configured in Greenhouse, and that excluded records genuinely did not migrate. File this as your compliance evidence.
PII & Compliance Scanner Produce the compliance evidence your auditor will ask for -
Test workflow, notifications and candidate-facing paths
Fire every stage automation, interview scheduling flow, rejection template and offer approval, and submit a live application through the careers site. Candidate-facing emails going out wrong is a brand problem, not just a bug.
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Sign off and schedule decommission
Get written acceptance against the Discovery criteria, retain SAP SuccessFactors read-only for the period your retention policy requires, take a final archive export, and diarise cancellation.
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Configure offer approval workflows
Greenhouse's offer system differs from SuccessFactors.
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Monitor for data inconsistencies
Run validation checks weekly for the first month. Watch for duplicates, missing attachments, and stage mismatches.
SAP SuccessFactors → Greenhouse specifics
- Reconnect integrations
- Job board postings, background check providers, and HRIS sync. (You may need to integrate Greenhouse back into SuccessFactors for employee onboarding.)
- Train recruiting teams
- Greenhouse's structured hiring model differs from SuccessFactors. Budget 1–2 weeks for team onboarding.
Don't move on until
- Reconciliation complete across candidates, applications and files
- Funnel and time-to-hire reporting tie to baseline
- Retention and EEO configuration verified, acceptance signed
Field mapping reference
The field-by-field mapping for each object. Use this as the starting point for your mapping spec.
SuccessFactors Entity Equivalent
| SAP SuccessFactors field | Greenhouse field | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Candidate | Direct 1:1 mapping. Deduplicate by email before load. |
| JobApplication | Application | Each SF application becomes a GH Application linked to a Candidate and Job. Custom fields may require Enterprise tier. |
| JobRequisition | Job | Map department, location, and hiring manager. GH Jobs have a fixed interview plan structure. |
| JobOffer | Offer | Offer fields differ significantly. Custom offer fields in SF may not have GH equivalents. |
| Attachment (resume) | Candidate Attachment | Must be base64-encoded for API upload. GH hosts docs on AWS S3 with signed URLs that expire in 7 days. (developers.greenhouse.io) |
| Interview notes/comments | Notes on Activity Feed | No structured scorecard equivalent — import as notes unless rebuilding scorecards from scratch. |
| Screening question responses | Custom Fields or Notes | GH has no native screening question import path. |
SuccessFactors Greenhouse
| SAP SuccessFactors field | Greenhouse field | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| candidateId | Custom field source_candidate_id | Immutable reconciliation key |
| firstName | first_name | Direct map |
| lastName | last_name | Direct map |
| email_addresses [].value | Normalize format, deduplicate | |
| cellPhone | phone_numbers [].value | Strip formatting |
| jobReqId | job_id | Map via lookup table; jobs must exist first |
| jobTitle | name | Direct map |
| department | departments [].name | Must match GH department list |
| location | offices [].name | Must match GH office list |
| applicationId | Custom field source_application_id | Needed for rollback and audit |
| applicationStatus | status | Map to GH status (active/rejected/hired) |
| offerAmount | Custom fields | GH offer fields are limited |
| Resume file | attachments [].filename | Base64-encode; download fresh |
| Interview notes | notes [].body | Loses structure; becomes plain text |
Tools used in this playbook
All free, all run entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
FAQ
What are the API rate limits for SuccessFactors OData and Greenhouse Harvest APIs?
SuccessFactors OData APIs are commonly cited at 40 requests per second, though SAP says limits vary by API — code to the Retry-After header. Greenhouse Harvest API v1/v2 allows 50 requests per 10-second window; v3 uses a 30-second fixed window. Both return HTTP 429 when exceeded.
How many candidates can I bulk import into Greenhouse at once?
Greenhouse recommends a maximum of 8,000 candidates per bulk import batch. The resume .zip file has a 5 GB size limit. The bulk import tool strips relational data like interview history and scorecards, and candidates linked to unmapped jobs are silently skipped.
Is Greenhouse Harvest API v1 being deprecated?
Yes. Greenhouse Harvest API v1 and v2 will be deprecated and unavailable after August 31, 2026. All new integrations should use Harvest v3, which requires OAuth 2.0 authentication and uses cursor-based pagination.
Can I migrate interview history from SuccessFactors to Greenhouse?
Partially. Greenhouse does not allow backdating interview events — only scorecards can be backdated. Interview notes and comments from SuccessFactors must be imported as notes on the Greenhouse activity feed, losing their structured format.
Do Greenhouse Application custom fields work on all subscription tiers?
No. Application custom fields are gated by subscription tier. Greenhouse's own support articles conflict on exactly which tiers support them. Verify in your actual tenant before finalizing field mappings — if your tier doesn't support them, the API will silently drop the data.