How You Supply Source Keys

The source key is made up of two attributes, SourceSystemOwner and SourceSystemId. If you use a source key to identify a record being merged, then you can also use source keys to identify integration-enabled foreign objects.

For example, you can identify the parent record of a child component using a source key. You can't use source keys for foreign-object references if you aren't also using a source key for the local record.

This topic describes how to supply source keys for both local records and foreign-object references. It also describes how default source keys are constructed.

Defining Source-System Owner Values

The SourceSystemOwner attribute is common to all source keys supplied in a record. Therefore, all foreign objects that you identify using source keys must have the same SourceSystemOwner value as the record being merged. You must define the SourceSystemOwner value by updating the HRC_SOURCE_SYSTEM_OWNER lookup type before you use source keys.

Specifying Source Keys for Local Records

To identify a local record uniquely using a source key, you supply values for both the SourceSystemId and SourceSystemOwner source-key attributes. This example shows how to identify a job object using a source key.

METADATA|Job|SourceSystemId|SourceSystemOwner|JobCode|JobName|SetCode|EffectiveStartDate|EffectiveEndDate
MERGE|Job|12349|EBS-UK|SE|Software Engineer|COMMON|2010/01/01|4712/12/31

Specifying Source Keys for Foreign-Object References

To use a source key for a foreign-object reference, you append the hint (SourceSystemId) to the surrogate ID attribute for the foreign object. This example shows how to identify a Job object in an assignment record using a source key. JobId is the surrogate ID attribute for the Job object, to which you append the hint (SourceSystemId) in the METADATA line. You must have created the Job object using HCM Data Loader with the supplied source key.

METADATA|Assignment|SourceSystemId|SourceSystemOwner|JobId(SourceSystemId)|EffectiveStartDate|EffectiveEndDate
MERGE|Assignment|234234|EBS-UK|12349|2013/01/01|4712/12/31

Note: You can use source keys for foreign objects only if those objects are integration-enabled. The integrated business-object documentation identifies which objects are integration enabled.

If your foreign-object has a different source system owner for the local record, you must also supply the source system owner of the foreign-object reference. To do this, you append the hint (SourceSystemOwner)to the surrogate ID attribute for the foreign object. This example extends the example above and shows how to identify a Job object in an assignment record, where the source system owner for the Job and Assignment are different.

METADATA|Assignment|SourceSystemId|SourceSystemOwner|JobId(SourceSystemId)|JobId(SourceSystemOwner)|EffectiveStartDate|EffectiveEndDate MERGE|Assignment|234234|EBS-UK|12349|VISION|2013/01/01|4712/12/31

Default Source Keys

If you specify no source key when you create a record using HCM Data Loader, then a default source key is generated. The default SourceSystemOwner value is FUSION and the SourceSystemId is the surrogate ID. You can use source keys to identify records with default source keys. You can also update existing source keys, including default source keys, using the Source Key object. However, no process exists for extracting source-key information.