SAP Knowledge Base Article - Public

3680088 - New Hire Template Configuration: Supported MDF Object Types and Implementation Guidelines for Onboarding

Symptom

When configuring the New Hire Data Review or Personal Data Collection pages in Onboarding, customers observe that data from effective-dated custom MDF objects does not propagate correctly to Employee Central.

In some cases, the following issues may occur:

  • Data entered in Onboarding does not appear in the Manage Pending Hires (MPH) page.
  • Information captured during Onboarding is missing or overwritten once the candidate is converted to an employee.
  • Custom fields linked to effective-dated MDF objects fail to display or save values correctly in Onboarding forms.
  • Unexpected behavior or data inconsistencies are noticed when using effective-dated entities that are originally configured in Employee Central but reused in Onboarding.

Environment

SAP SuccessFactors Onboarding

Cause

This behavior typically occurs because Onboarding supports only non-effective dated MDF objects, due to its dependency on external user context, unlike Employee Central where effective-dated entities are supported.

Resolution

Supported Configuration in Onboarding:

  • Onboarding users (external candidates) do not yet have a full employee profile or time context as in Employee Central. Hence the supported type is Non-Effective Dated Custom MDF Objects only.

    Configuration:
  • When defining the MDF object under Configure Object Definitions, set Effective Dating to None.
  • Add the object to the New Hire Template → Data Review Page or Personal Data Collection Page.

Why Onboarding Does Not Support Effective-Dated Entities:

  • Onboarding operates within the external user context, where users are not yet fully active employees.
  • Effective-dated entities require Employee Central user context to manage date-driven records.
  • Since the Onboarding process is provisional, effective-dating logic cannot be applied.
  • Once the user transitions to EC, effective-dated MDF Objects can be used for ongoing employee data management.
What are the common scenarios/errors faced by the customers if they use Effective Dated Custom MDF objects in Onboarding?
  • Customers use the same effective dated object configured in EC for Onboarding New Hire Template.
  • Data does not propagate successfully from Onboarding to EC
  • Data captured in PDC is not available in MPH

Recommended SAP Approach

  • Always use non-effective-dated MDF Objects for Onboarding.
  • For customers who already have effective-dated custom objects in EC:
    • Create a duplicate non-effective-dated object (copy the structure but change Effective Dating → None).
    • Map this object in the New Hire Template under the relevant section (Data Review or Personal Data Collection).
  • The data collected in ONB via non-effective dated MDF Object cannot be converted to an effective dated entity in EC. If the data collected against the MDF Object must be effective dated, please collect this information directly in EC post hiring.

What behaviour change was introduced in 2H 2025 Release to avoid using effective dated custom objects in New Hire Template:

  • Previously, there was no error message to inform the administrator that the Hire Template doesn't support non-effective dated custom MDF objects.
  • Currently, an error message informs the administrator that the Hire Template supports only non-effective dated custom MDF objects. 
  • Guide link for reference: Minor Visual Changes in 2H 2025 | SAP Help Portal
Frequently Asked Questions:
  • If customers change the effective dating setting from “Effective-Dated” to “None,” will existing data be lost?
    When attempt to change the object type, the system throws an error to avoid data corruption with the existing stored data. We recommend creating a new object and avoid making changes to the existing object to avoid data issues with the existing data stored.

  • After switching to “None” for effective dating, will the custom MDF objects stop mapping correctly to the Employee Profile?
    The data flow to Employee Profile will not be withheld. Since this is the recommended approach, there will not be any data loss when propagating to EC.

  • Some customers currently use effective-dated MDF entities without encountering any issues. Under what specific scenarios or configurations do data loss or data propagation issues occur?
    There is no definitive scenario for which the data wipe out issues occur and since we do not support effective dated custom MDF Objects in Onboarding it is not possible to for us to determine the root cause. The correct way to configure the new hire template is available in the guide: Configuring Hire Template for Access New Hire

See Also

Keywords

New Hire Template, Effective, Non-Effective, Non Effective, Dated, Entities, Onboarding, Hire Template, Template, Personal Data Collection, PDC, MPH, Manage Pending Hire, Access New Hire Data, New Hire Data, Custom Object, Object, Effective Dated, Effective dating , KBA , LOD-SF-OBX-EC , Integration EC - MPH, Hire , Problem

Product

SAP SuccessFactors Onboarding all versions