Symptom
While trying to import background or personal data e.g. Previous Work Experience block or Date of Birth, the date is displaying incorrect values.
Image/data in this KBA is from SAP internal systems, sample data, or demo systems. Any resemblance to real data is purely coincidental.
Environment
SAP SuccessFactors HXM Suite
Reproducing the Issue
- Go to Admin Center
- Go to "Import Extender User Information"
- Try to import background or personal data
- Select locale
- Then click on "Import Extended User Data"
Result: The dates fields are incorrectly displayed
Cause
Incorrect locale was selected while performing the import. Import job uses a locale with other date format (mm/dd/aaaa or dd/mm/aaaa) from what intended to be on the file.
Resolution
Date fields are directly related to the Locale you select when performing the import. The fields' format will be adjusted according to the standards of the locale:
User can switch to different languages and then the UI will automatically adjust the date field values. When language is US, the date field displays Jul 30, 2018, while changed to UK, it displays 30 Jul 2018.
The language can be configured at:
Summarizing different scenarios and their results,
Scenario 1:
Option | Change Language | English (UK) + Import Extended User Information | select UK locale + Import UK date format csv file => import success
Scenario 2:
Option | Change Language | English (UK) + Import Extended User Information | select UK locale + Import US date format csv file => import fail with error message to tell the date format is wrong if the date in csv file cannot be parsed by UK format; Otherwise, the import success BUT the date will be wrong because it parsed in UK format, for example:
Jan 4 vs Apr 1
Scenario 3:
Option | Change Language | English (UK) + Import Extended User Information | select US locale + Import UK date format csv file => import success BUT the date will be wrong, because the application could parse the date twice, 1st time to parse it as US format, if failed it will parse it 2nd time with UK format. for instance, (UK: startDate,endDate - 01/04/2013,29/04/2013), this will result in:
Jan 4 (1st parse) ~ Apr 29 (2nd parse, because 1st parse failed)
Keywords
Wrong Locale, Incorrect Date Fields, Date Field showing wrong value, Import, Live Profile Import, Background Data Import, Import Extended User Information, Date Field, Wrong Date, Wrong Field Value, sf , KBA , LOD-SF-EP-BGD , Background Elements , LOD-SF-EP-TRD , Trend Elements , LOD-SF-PLT-UIM , Employee Import Issues , Problem