User Keys

Most Oracle HCM Cloud business objects, regardless of whether they're enabled for integration, have one or more attributes that make up a user key. The user key, which is also known as a natural key, is always visible on the user interface.

For example:

• The user key for an organization is the organization name.

• The user key for an area of responsibility is the responsibility name plus the person number.

When to Use User Keys

User keys are part of the business object definition. They're always required when you create a logical object, regardless of how you create it.

You can also use user keys when updating logical objects. However, the value of a user key can change, and some user-key attributes are translatable. For this reason, you can't update some business objects if you supply only user keys to reference them. Therefore, whenever possible, you're recommended to use source keys when updating objects.

User keys are recommended when:

• You're referencing or maintaining an object that wasn't created with a source key.

• The source-key value is unknown.

User Keys for Child Objects

When a business object is bound by another, the user key must include the user key for its parent. For example:

• Jobs are always part of a set. Therefore, job code alone doesn't uniquely identify a job. Instead, the set code must be part of the user key for a job.

• Job grades apply to a specific job. Therefore, the user key for a job grade must include both the user key for the grade and the user key for the parent job. Therefore, the user key for the job grade is made up of the grade code, job code, and set code.