2942505 - XXX is a required field and cannot be blank : error is getting thrown during EmpJob OData API Upsert

While creating/updating a record of a user using OData UPSERT operation, API server throws following error:

XXX is a required field and cannot be blank

Image/data in this KBA is from SAP internal systems, sample data, or demo systems. Any resemblance to real data is purely coincidental.

SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central OData API

To reproduce the issue, let's create a new hire job information record.

Please execute the following request payload in POSTMAN

POST: https://apisalesdemo4.successfactors.com/odata/v2/upsert

{
"__metadata": {
"uri": "https://apisalesdemo4.successfactors.com/odata/v2/EmpJob",
"type": "SFOData.EmpJob"
},
"businessUnit": "PRODS",
"company": "8500",
"payScaleType": "AUS/AUQ1",
"eventReason": "HIRNEW",
"jobTitle": null,
"location": "8510-0001",
"startDate": "/Date(1593525511000)/",
"timezone": "Australia/Sydney",
"userId": "roht1",
"managerId": "NO_MANAGER"
}

API will throw the below error:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/ado/2007/08/dataservices/metadata" xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/ado/2007/08/dataservices">
<entry>
<content type="application/xml">
<m:properties>
<d:key>EmpJob/seqNumber=null,EmpJob/startDate=2020-06-30T13:58:31.000-04:00,EmpJob/userId=roht1</d:key>
<d:status>ERROR</d:status>
<d:editStatus m:null="true"></d:editStatus>
<d:message>job-title is a required field and cannot be blank.
Failed record info: {EmpJob/businessUnit=PRODS, EmpJob/company=8500, EmpJob/payScaleType=AUS/AUQ1, EmpJob/eventReason=HIRNEW, EmpJob/jobTitle=null, EmpJob/location=8510-0001, EmpJob/startDate=2020-06-30T13:58:31.000-04:00, EmpJob/timezone=Australia/Sydney, EmpJob/userId=roht1, EmpJob/managerId=NO_MANAGER}.
for Key EmpJob/seqNumber=null,EmpJob/startDate=2020-06-30T13:58:31.000-04:00,EmpJob/userId=roht1 with the index 0</d:message>
<d:index m:type="Edm.Int32">0</d:index>
<d:httpCode m:type="Edm.Int32">500</d:httpCode>
<d:inlineResults m:type="Bag(SFOData.UpsertResult)"></d:inlineResults>
</m:properties>
</content>
</entry>
</feed>

The null value has been passed in the OData API payload for a required field which has Nullable attribute value true.

"fieldName": null

Like in example

"jobTitle": null,

If a required field attribute Nullable is true then null value to the field is passed in OData API call as

"fieldName": "null"

Let's correct the example as

POST: https://apisalesdemo4.successfactors.com/odata/v2/upsert

{
"__metadata": {
"uri": "https://apisalesdemo4.successfactors.com/odata/v2/EmpJob",
"type": "SFOData.EmpJob"
},
"businessUnit": "PRODS",
"company": "8500",
"payScaleType": "AUS/AUQ1",
"eventReason": "HIRNEW",
"jobTitle": "null",
"location": "8510-0001",
"startDate": "/Date(1593525511000)/",
"timezone": "Australia/Sydney",
"userId": "roht1",
"managerId": "NO_MANAGER"
}

Please refer the guide for Employee Central OData API etities.

UPSERT, null, OData, EmpJob, ERROR , KBA , LOD-SF-INT-EC , Employee Central SFAPI & OData Entities , LOD-SF-INT , Integrations , Problem