How You Include Reference Values in Data Files

You can include reference values in each data line in a file.

They enable you to record reference data for the file line, which could include values already supplied on the file line or within the object, or source-system information, such as the database-table name, column names, and attribute values from the source system. The Object Status page within the Import and Load Data interface, displays the reference values supplied against the top-level record in your object. Navigate to Object Details page to view the reference information supplied against each file line that constructs your object. You can create OTBI reports to include these values using the HCM Integrations Real Time subject area. The reference names and values are available in the Imported Objects sub-folder within the HCM Data Loader folder.

For example, when loading element entries, you may want to filter and reconcile by the assignment number, element name and amount. You can supply these values against the ElementEntry record, even though the amount is loaded using the ElementEntryValue record type. This would then allow you to filter by the assignment number and element name, to check the status of the element entry, while reviewing the amount specified for the element entry.

You aren't restricted as to the values you supply, there is no validation of these attributes. The data supplied to them in held only the staging tables, it is not saved to the application tables.

References are optional. This topic describes how to construct reference attributes, which are made up of a name and a value.

Reference Names

You specify reference context and column names in the METADATA line. To specify a source-system database-table name or reference context, you add the following entry to the METADATA line:

SourceRefTableName=<table name>

You can specify up to 10 reference column names in the same METADATA line using the SourceRef001 to SourceRef010 tags.

Examples:

To supply details of the source record on your legacy system:

METADATA|Job|SourceRefTableName=PER_JOBS|SourceRef001=JOB_ID|SourceRef002=EFFECTIVE_START_DATE|SourceRef003=EFFECTIVE_END_DATE

To supply reconciliation and reporting information:

METADATA|ElementEntry|SourceRef001=Assignment Number|SourceRef002=Element Name|SourceRef003=Effective Start Date|SourceRef004=Amount

Reference attributes can appear anywhere in the METADATA line after the instruction and discriminator values.

Reference Values

Supply the reference values on each data line, ensuring that they appear in the order specified on the METADATA line. In data lines, you must leave the SourceRefTableName attribute blank. This value appears in the METADATA definition only. For example:

METADATA|Job|SourceRefTableName=PER_JOBS|SourceRef001=JOB_ID|SourceRef002=EFFECTIVE_START_DATE|SourceRef003=EFFECTIVE_END_DATE
MERGE|Job||135|2010/01/01|4712/12/31
MERGE|Job||136|2010/01/01|4712/12/31