Introduction:
When configuring the New Hire Data Review or Personal Data Collection pages in SAP SuccessFactors Onboarding, we 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.
Why do we see such data inconsistencies?
This behavior typically occurs because SAP SuccessFactors 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.
What is the 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.
How to add this 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 is the recommended approach when configure New Hire Templates including custom MDF Objects for Onboarding?
- Always use non-effective-dated MDF Objects for Onboarding.
- If you already have effective-dated custom objects in New Hire Template (Onboarding):
- 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).
- Keep the EC effective-dated version for post-hire data synchronization.
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 we change the effective dating setting from “Effective-Dated” to “None,” will existing data be lost?
The data should not be lost when effective dating is set to “None”. However, we would recommend creating a new object and avoid making changes to the existing object.
- 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.
- If we are currently using 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
Bluesky
