Create schedule bookings from Google Sheets with Zapier

Plan bookings in a Google Sheet and let Zapier put them on Avaza's Team Schedule. Each new row becomes one booking: a person, a project, dates and hours. For Zapier basics, see connecting Avaza to other apps with Zapier.

Before you start

• A Zapier account. This Zap has search steps, so it needs a paid Zapier plan. The free plan runs two-step Zaps only (see "On Zapier's free plan" below).
• The right Avaza login. Zapier works as the person who connects Avaza, so use an Administrator's login. A Scheduling Manager can only book on projects they're a member of, and their role doesn't include the lookups the search steps use.
• The Team Schedule module is on, in Settings › General. See general settings.
• Everyone you book has the Scheduling User role and is a member of the project. See managing users and contacts.

Set up the sheet

Use a header row, then one row per booking:

• Email: the person's email address in Avaza.
• Project, Category and Task: names exactly as Avaza shows them. The category must be one of the project's timesheet categories. The task is optional.
• Start and End: type dates as YYYY-MM-DD, so the day and month can't be mixed up.
• Hours per day: up to 24, and decimals such as 7.5 are fine. You can use a total hours column instead.

Build the Zap

1. In Zapier, create a Zap with the trigger Google Sheets, New Spreadsheet Row. Choose the spreadsheet and the worksheet, then test the trigger so Zapier fetches a sample row.

2. Find the project: Avaza, Search Project, with the Project column. The first time, Zapier asks you to sign in to Avaza: check what it will be able to do, and click Grant Access to Avaza.

3. Add a Filter step that only continues if step 2 found a project ID.

4. Find the category. Add the Avaza search for a project's timesheet categories, with the project ID from step 2 and the Category column.

5. Find the task (optional): Avaza, Search Task, with the project ID from step 2 and the Task column. Add another Filter step if a missing task should stop the Zap.

6. Find the person: Avaza, Lookup User, with the Email column.

7. Create the booking: Avaza, Create Schedule Booking. Map the fields as below, then test the step and publish the Zap.

Map the booking fields

Avaza needs its own ID numbers for the person, project, category and task, so map them from the search steps. Zapier's labels may differ slightly.

Avaza checks the booking as it does in the app:

• The person needs the Scheduling User role and must be an active member of the project.
• A booking can't start or end on the person's day off unless schedule on days off is on. Days off are the days left empty in the person's Standard Working hours (in Contacts), and the holidays in Settings › Scheduling Settings. See scheduling settings.
• If the booking is a task's only booking and the task has one assignee, the task takes the booking's person and dates. See linking schedule bookings to tasks.

On Zapier's free plan

A two-step Zap has no room for searches, so each row must hold Avaza's ID numbers, or you type fixed IDs into the booking step. A project's ID follows /project/view/ in the address bar when the project is open, and a task's ID follows task= when the task is open. People and category IDs aren't shown in the app.

Test the Zap

1. Add a row to the sheet with real names and dates.

2. Wait for Zapier. Zaps that start in Google Sheets run on Zapier's schedule for that trigger, so it isn't instant. If a step fails, the Zap's run in Zapier shows the error.

3. Open Team Schedule in Avaza and find the person on the booking's dates. Check the project, the dates and the hours per day.

   

If a booking isn't created

Other ways to create bookings

Book people by hand on the Team Schedule (schedule your team, recurring bookings), or while you create a task (linking bookings to tasks). Developers can create bookings with the Avaza API, and hear about changes through webhooks.