3558086 - Sending emails via API with Technical User Does not Work

• Customers integrating with SAP Sales Cloud Version 2 / SAP Service Cloud Version 2 REST APIs may encounter conflicting behavior when implementing the recent restrictions on Business Users using Basic Authentication.
• The following symptoms may occur:
  • A Technical User can successfully create an email using the REST API endpoint /sap/c4c/api/v1/email-service/emails.
  • However, when attempting to send the email (transmissionStatus = SEND) using a Technical User, the request fails because the user has no employee assignment.
    • The API returns the following error: "message": "No employee associated with User"
  • In this scenario, a Business User is required and supported for the email SEND operation because it is associated with an employee.
  • However, following the new Basic Authentication restrictions, technical requests authenticated with a Business User using Basic Authentication fail with:
    • HTTP 429: Too Many Requests
• This KBA clarifies the supported approach for the email SEND scenario and the required authentication method.

• SAP Service Cloud Version 2 1.0
• SAP Sales Cloud Version 2 1.0

1. Using an API development platform (e.g., Insomnia).
2. Send a POST request to https://xxxxxxxxxxx.sap/sap/c4c/api/v1/email-service/emails with the following body:
   {
       "transmissionStatus": "SEND",
       "channelId": "<Channel ID>",
       "dataOrigin": "CHANNEL",
       "subject": "Test",
       "body": "Test",
       "direction": "INBOUND",
       "from": "<channel email address>",
       "toRecipients": ["<email address>"]
   }
   
3. Authenticate using a technical user.
4. The following error occurs: "message": "No employee associated with User".

• A technical (API) user has no employee assignment. The email service requires an employee assignment to complete the SEND action, so a technical user can CREATE an email but not SEND it.
• Beyond the technical employee-assignment check:
  1. an API/technical user should not be used for sending emails in general, as it does not meet the required security, auditing, and data integrity standards for that action.
  2. sending email must be attributable to a business user account.
• New changes on platform side now restricts business user authentication via Basic Authentication for technical/integration scenarios.
  • This restriction governs the authentication method, not which user type can send email — it does not reintroduce the technical user as a valid option for SEND, and it does not prevent business users from sending email when a supported authentication method is used.

• The email SEND scenario is not supported when using a Technical User. A Business User must be used, as sending an email requires an associated employee.
• As a best practice, business emails should be sent by the individual responsible for the communication, rather than by a shared or common account. This ensures proper accountability, traceability, and auditability.
• If business requirements require the use of a shared or common account, a Business User may still be used for sending emails.
• To comply with the new restrictions on Business Users Using Basic Authentication, do not authenticate the Business User using Basic Authentication. Instead, use one of the following supported authentication methods:
  • Token-based authentication
  • Certificate-based authentication
• Technical Users remain fully supported for email CREATE scenarios (that is, when transmissionStatus is not set to SEND), as these operations do not require an employee assignment.

• SAP Help Portal: Restrictions on Business Users Using Basic Authentication
• KBA 3543859 - Email API not sending emails out of SAP Sales Cloud V2

Email, API, Authentication, Business User, Technical User, Basic Authentication, token-based authentication, certificate-based authentication, employee assignment, no employee associated with user, transmissionStatus, SEND, CREATE , KBA , CEC-CRM-EML , Emails for SAP Sales/Service Cloud , Problem