SAP Knowledge Base Article - Public

3736357 - Unable to add business key field to mdf object

Symptom

  • Need to add a business key field for a custom MDF object, but it fails with the error: "There are existing records that don't have a value on the business key field. Please correct them: …"
  • When exporting the object data, no obvious records appear with missing values for the intended business key field.

Environment

SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite

Reproducing the Issue

  1. Go to Configure Object Definitions.
  2. Select the object 
  3. Set the target field to "Required"
  4. Assign the field under the Business Key field
  5. Save > Error is shown

Cause

  • Duplicate data exists in the child object
  • Some existing records do not have a value in the field intended to become the business key

Resolution

  1. Export all records for the affected MDF object
  2. Identify and remove duplicate records that would violate the intended uniqueness of the new business key
  3. Locate any records where the intended business key field is blank
  4. Clean the dataset by deleting or consolidating duplicates and by ensuring the intended business key field is populated for all existing records
  5. Import the cleaned data back using Full Purge to remove duplicates and overwrite existing entries
  6. Try to set the field as business key again
  7. If the error persists, repeat the export to verify no remaining duplicates or blanks exist in the intended business key field, then re-import with Full Purge and retry

See Also

Keywords

mdf, business key, unable to save object definition, existing records don't have a value on the business key field, duplicate records, full purge, import, export, parent-child object, child object, configure object definitions, required field, data cleanup, mdf validation, object definition save error , KBA , LOD-SF-MDF-IMP , Import and Export Issues , How To

Product

SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite all versions