3261324 - General Display Name Behavior and Troubleshooting

This KBA discusses the behavior and troubleshooting tips for the General Display Name feature, which starting from b2311 release, for new SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite customers, is enabled by default.

• Where is General Display Name Respected?
• Troubleshooting Non-EC Instances:
• Troubleshooting for EC Instances:
• Checking Why an Issue Occurred with the Sync of the General Display Name for EC Instances:
• FAQ
  • What Happens if Name Format for Formal Name was already enabled, and General Display Name is now configured:
  • DISPLAYNAME field is Missing from Manage Business Configuration:
  • Can the DISPLAYNAME Column be removed from the UDF?
  • Why are there Values in the DISPLAYNAME Column of the UDF Before we have Enabled General Display Name:
  • Why is the "Name Format for General Display" Field/Assoication Already on Companies/Legal Entities in Manage Data Before we have Enabled General Display Name:
  • Can You Store the DISPLAYNAME Value in a Field on User's Profiles?
  • What is the behavior/affect of General Display Name on People Search?

• SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite
• SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central

Where is General Display Name Respected?

For the General Display Name feature, some UIs only partially support it (with limitations), while others fully support it but require additional attention.
It is recommended to verify whether the affected UI has any limitations or specific considerations by referring to the SAP Help Page - Important Notes About General Display Name.

Troubleshooting Non-EC Instances:

For non-EC instances, the General Display Name is taken from the DISPLAYNAME field in the Basic User/Employee Export File. The field is updated via import. Refer to SAP Help Page - Configuring General Display Name.

NOTE: Removing the DISPLAYNAME field completely from the UDF or from the system is not supported by design. Although display name adoption is an admin opt-in feature, it only controls whether the display name is used across the system. The field itself is always present for all users, including in the UDF.

If the General Display Name field is not showing the correct value, follow the steps below:

1. Go to Employee Export tool and export the UDF file (click on "Export User File")
2. Open the exported file and search for the username of affected user
3. Confirm that the DISPLAYNAME field contains the incorrect value currently shown as the General Display Name.
4. Go to Import Employee Data tool 
   1. Select "Download Template"
   2. Choose "Basic Import" as the entity
   3. Keep File Encoding as "Unicode (UTF-8)"
   4. Click Generate Template
5. Open the downloaded template and populate the User ID column (value can be obtained from the exported UDF file) and the DISPLAYNAME column with the correct value..
6. Return to Import Employee Data tool
   1. Select Import Data
   2. Choose Basic Import
   3. Upload the file
   4. Keep the remaining fields as default.
   5. Click Validate Import File Data and ensure validation is successful
   6. Proceed with the Import

Important: 

• If no value is maintained in the DISPLAYNAME field, the system calculates the value according to the message key COMMON_USER_DISPLAY_NAME in the company default locale. If first name, middle name, and last name are not maintained, the field value is set to Unknown.
• For EP users, if the record is non-EC, there is no formal name and the name format does not take effect. For non-EC records, the displayName is concatenated based on COMMON_USER_DISPLAY_NAME when the basic user is created. The displayName is not automatically updated when first name or last name is changed, as it can be manually maintained via import.
• In hybrid scenarios (instances with both EC and non-EC employees), when the Refresh General Display Name action is triggered, only EC employees are recalculated.

Note: For a list of UIs that have limitations or require extra attention, refer to the SAP Help Page - Important Notes About General Display Name.

Troubleshooting EC Instances:

For EC Instance the General Display Name for a user is stored in the DISPLAYNAME field in the Basic User/Employee Export File.

This field is updated by the HRIS Sync, which syncs the correct value based on the General Display Name settings. The sync sends the General Display Name based on the adopted method, either Legal Entity or People Profile configuration for the General Name Format.

• General Display Name can be configured per Legal Entity. This allows administrators to configure name formats that meet business needs and follow best practices for each legal entity. If Employee Central is enabled and a name format for general display is configured for a specific legal entity, that format is used across the SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite within that legal entity.
• General Display Name can also be configured in Configure People Profile. With this option, it is recommended to enable:
  Admin Center → Company System and Logo Settings → Enable the name format selected in Configure People Profile to apply globally.
  If Employee Central is enabled and a name format is chosen in People Profile, it is shared across legal entities where no specific name format for general display is defined.
  If different name formats are required per legal entity, this option should not be enabled. If a global name format is required for all legal entities, this option should be enabled.

Note: Both configuration options rely on Enable Name Format being enabled in Manage Employee Central Settings, and configured according SAP Help Page - Implementing Name Formats.


Confirming an issue with General Display Format Exists:

If the UI supports General Display Name, to confirm whether there is an issue with the General Display Name, first confirm which method is being used:

1. Navigate to Company System and Logo Settings
2. Confirm if Enable the name format selected in Configure People Profile to apply globally is checked? 
   1. If yes, the Name Format being used can be found in Admin Center > Configure People Profile > General Settings > Choose Name Format.
      SAP Help Page - Configuring the Name Format for People Profile
   2. If no, then the Name Format being used is from the employees Legal Entity.
      Check the users Legal Entity from their Job Information.
      In Manage Data, search for this Legal Entity and see which Name Format is being used.
      SAP Help Page - Configuring the Name Format for Legal Entities
   3. Carry out an Employee Export
   4. Check the value stored in the DISPLAYNAME field and compare with the expected output from the Name Format highlighted in step 2.
      1. If no issue can be seen with the comparison, then the General Display Name is working Correctly.
      2. If issues exist with the comparison, then the General Display Name please review the below section for more details.

Please note if no value is maintained in the DISPLAYNAME field, the system calculates the value according to message key COMMON_USER_DISPLAY_NAME in company default locale. If there is no first name, middle name, and last name, the field value is set to Unknown.

Note: For a list of UIs that have limitations or require extra attention please refer to SAP Help Page - Important Notes About General Display Name.

Additional note: After 2H2411, permission to display name in UDF has to be granted to the access user in order to display the name on people profile header properly. Or else, the name on people profile header could be different from the one displayed on global search.

Checking Why an Issue Occurred with the Sync of the General Display Name for EC Instances:

• You have recently made a change to the Name Format used on either the Legal Entity or Configure People Profile or you have recently enabled/disabled the following setting: Admin Center > Company System and Logo Settings > Enable the name format selected in Configure People Profile to apply globally 
  
  • If this is the case, then a refresh of the General Display Name is required.
    This can be executed via Admin Center > Company System and Logo Settings.
  • Click the Refresh General Display Name button right under the Enable adoption of General Display Name option.
  • This will trigger a special iteration of the HRIS Sync Job which will update the DISPLAYNAME field only and sync the values based on your recent change.
• The HRIS Sync has failed or not run-in recent days.
  
  • The General Display Name will only reflect changes to users’ names if the daily HRIS Sync is successfully running.
  • To resolve this issue, we recommend resolving the issues with the Daily HRIS Sync job. You may need to work with your Partner or Support to resolve this.
    2080730 - Employee Central: HRIS Sync - Troubleshooting Guide
    
• Basic User Imports are occurring in your instance.
  • For Employee Central customers, we don’t prevent you from importing General Display Name.
  • If the General Display name is updated via Import this can cause it to appear incorrectly when compared to the configured Name Format. 
  • Please note that is you wish to update the values via import, and they differ to the Name Format the next time the HRIS Sync is triggered for those users the imported General Display Name will be overwritten by HRIS sync.
  • Based on this it is not recommended to import values into this field, but to rely on the HRIS Sync to set the values.
  • To resolve issues caused by import a refresh of the General Display Name is required.
    This can be executed via Go to Admin Center > Company System and Logo Settings.
    Click the Refresh General Display Name button right under the Enable adoption of General Display Name option.
    This will trigger a special iteration of the HRIS Sync Job which will update the DISPLAYNAME field only and update the value based on the configured Name Format.

FAQ:

What Happens if Name Format for Formal Name was already enabled, and General Display Name is now configured: 

Any instance, which was already using the Name Format for Formal Name, can also implement General Display Name.

If both features are enabled, General Display Name will take precedent and the General Display Name value will be displayed on any UI that supports both features.

KBA 2297189 - Where in the UI is Name Format Respected

DISPLAYNAME field is Missing from Manage Business Configuration: 

It is not required to configure the DISPLAYNAME field in Manage Business Configuration. However if you wish to change the label of the field that is displayed in the Employee Export file, this can be done via Manage Business Configuration.

The DISPLAYNAME field will only be visible in Manage Business Configuration after a Succession Data Model import has occurred after the 2H 2022 Release. This is required to refresh the hardcoded field logic where this field is stored.

How to check if the DISPLAYNAME field is Available in Manage Business Configuration:

1. Navigate to Manage Business Configuration
2. Expand the Employee Profile section
3. Expand the Standard list
4. Search for the displayName field
   1. If the field shows in the list no other action is required
   2. If the field does not show in the list, a Succession Data Model Import is required to be able to see the field so the label can be changed.
      If you have a Partner, they can do this for you, if not please create a support case with the Platform (Component) team to carry out the import.

KBA 3265384 - Standard elements introduced in 2H 2022 Release not available in Manage Business Configuration

Can the DISPLAYNAME Column be removed from the UDF? 

The DISPLAYNAME Column will be added to the UDF for all instances as part of the 2H 2022 Release update. 
Removing the DISPLAYNAME completely in the UDF or in the system can't be done according to design. Although display name adoption is an Admin Opt-in, it only controls the whole BizX system applied with display name in all pages. The display name field will always be added to all users including UDF even if you don't use it.

Why are there Values in the DISPLAYNAME Column of the UDF Before we have Enabled General Display Name:

As mentioned above the DISPLAYNAME Column is added the the UDF by the system. The column will also be pre-populated with values according to message key COMMON_USER_DISPLAY_NAME (first name, middle name, and last name) in company default locale. If there is no first name, middle name, and last name, the field value is set to Unknown.

The values will not be respected until the General Display Name feature is enabled.

Why is the "Name Format for General Display" Field/Assoication Already on Companies/Legal Entities in Manage Data Before we have Enabled General Display Name:

The "Name Format for General Display" Field/Assoication is added to Legal Entities in Manage Data as part of the 2H 2022 Release. This is done by system design to simplify the process if you choose to enable General Display Name. The field and any values you may added to the field will not be respected until the General Display Name feature is enabled.

Can You Store the DISPLAYNAME Value in a Field on User's Profiles? 

The DISPLAYNAME field can be added to a Live Profile User Information Block in Configure People Profile.

This field visibility in People Profile cannot be controlled by RBP as the field is always readable.

What is the behavior/affect of General Display Name on People Search?

The People Search won't be affected by the enablement of General Display Name. You will still be able to search for all supported fields as per previous configuration.
What can happen is that, once the General Display Name option is enabled, the display name of the user changes as a result (in case it was configured differently before), after that, the old display name will not be searchable if it is not being used at any other Supported Fields for People Search in SuccessFactors (as per KBA 2385804).

Does this general display name format configured for SuccessFactors mobile app too ?  

Yes, SuccessFactors mobile app also adopted General Display Name.

Does display name translations supported in  EP profiles ?  

DISPLAYNAME is automatically enabled in the Succession Data Model. You can see this element in the Business Configuration UI, but your updates to the element in BCUI won't take effect.

Refer to SAP Help Page - Field Requirements for the User Data File

Would General Display Name field be audited by Change Audit Report?

No, currently Audit log for General Display Name field is not supported.

• SAP Help Page - Important Notes About General Display Name
• SAP Help Page - Configuring General Display Name
• SAP Help Page - Configuring the Name Format for People Profile
• SAP Help Page - Configuring the Name Format for Legal Entities
• SAP Help Page - Field Requirements for the User Data File
• SAP Help Page - General Display Name Automatically On for All Customers
• KBA 3416317 - Certain user was not found in global header search by searching User ID
• KBA 2385804 - Supported Fields for People Search in SuccessFactors
• KBA 2922553 - Unable to search employee by Display Name
• KBA 2797141 - Employee Import/Export Data

, KBA , LOD-SF-PLT-MNG , Manage user Issues , LOD-SF-EC , Employee Central , How To

SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central all versions ; SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite all versions