SAP Knowledge Base Article - Public

3792836 - Workflow Approval Fails for Custom MDF Object with Duplicate External Code and Effective Date Error

Symptom

  • Approving a workflow for a custom MDF object fails with a duplicate key for externalCode and effective date.
  • Error message: "Your workflow approval request cannot be completed as there is already data in the system with the same external code and effective date."
  • Error message: "Oops! We couldn’t process your response. Please approve or decline again."

Environment

  • SAP SuccessFactors HCM Core

Reproducing the Issue

  1. Submit previous employment information for a custom MDF object.
  2. Attempt to approve the workflow that was initiated.
  3. Observe the duplicate key error messages during approval.

Cause

  • For a None-type effective-dated MDF object with externalCode set to user, only one record per user (unique by externalCode and effective date) is allowed.
  • The workflow was initiated as CREATE (new record) instead of CORRECT (edit existing), causing a duplicate key conflict with an existing approved record.

Resolution

  1. Cancel any pending CREATE-type workflow requests for the same user and the same custom MDF object.
  2. Open the existing approved record in Manage Data and initiate a CORRECT-type workflow to update it.
  3. If multiple records per user are required, change the object’s effective dating to Basic so distinct time slices can be created and approved without conflict.

See Also


Keywords

MDF, Custom MDF Object, Workflow Approval, Duplicate Key, ExternalCode, effectiveStartDate, Effective Date, Duplicate Record, Workflow Error, Approval Error, MDF Workflow
, KBA , LOD-SF-MDF-WFL , Custom Object based Workflows , Problem

Product

SAP SuccessFactors HCM Core all versions