SAP SuccessFactors Personal Information FAQs

SAP SuccessFactors Personal Information FAQs
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This blog compiles frequently asked questions from SAP SuccessFactors (KBAs), focusing on Employee Central Personal Information, Biographical Information, National ID, Contact Information, Address Information, and related business rules. Each answer is written in a simple format for SAP SuccessFactors users and administrators.

How to create a business rule to display a substring of a field?

Answer: 

  1. Identifythe source field and the target field. 
  2. Go to Configure Business Rules.
  3. Create a business rule using the relevant Employee Central rule scenario.
  4. Use the Substring function to extract the required part of the source field.
  5. Set the target field to the substring result.
  6. Assign the rule asanonSave trigger on the relevant HRIS element. 
  7. Enter a value in the source field.
  8. Save and confirm that the target field shows the trimmed value.

Note: 

Substring extracts a fixed string from a defined start position and length. Trim only removes leading and trailing spaces and cannot remove other characters.

How to add a National ID section for a specific country?

Answer: 

  1. Go toAdminCenter. 
  2. Open Manage Business Configuration.
  3. Go to the national ID section.
  4. Select CreateNewFormat. 
  5. Select the country from the country dropdown.
  6. Save the new format.
  7. Open the country-specific national ID entry.
  8. SelectTake Action> Make Correction. 
  9. Set Enabled to Yes.
  10. Enter the identifier, label, display format, and regular expression.
  11. Save the changes.

Note: 

Use the format ID delivered by product management through the country-specific succession data model so validations work correctly.

How to rename the Contact Information card in People Profile?

Answer: 

  1. Go to Manage Languages.
  2. Create a new custom translation or edit an existing one.
  3. Search for `PPX_Contact_Information` forLatestPeople Profile. 
  4. Search for `EMPFILE_HRIS_PORTLET_CONTACT_INFORMATION` for Legacy People Profile.
  5. Enter the desired translation for the selected language.
  6. Save the changes.
  7. Wait for the change to take effect.
  8. Retest the employee profile.

Note: 

The Contact Information card is a grouped system element and cannot be renamed through Manage Business Configuration, Configure People Profile, or Configure Latest People Profile.

How to avoid incorrect century values in Employee Central date fields?

Answer: 

  1. Open the date field, such as Date of Birth in Biographical Information.
  2. Avoidtypinga two-digit year. 
  3. Enter all four digits of the year.
  4. Alternatively, use the calendar picker.
  5. Save the record.
  6. Confirm that the expected year is saved.

Note: 

Two-digit year handling is expected system behavior. Users should enter the full four-digit year to avoid incorrect century selection.

How to add Phone Information for contingent workers?

Answer: 

  1. Go to Manage Business Configuration.
  2. Open thephoneInfoHRIS element. 
  3. Add the ContingentWorker persontype. 
  4. Save the configuration.
  5. Open the Add Contingent Worker wizard.
  6. Go to the Personal Information section.
  7. Confirm that Phone Information can now be added.

Note: 

The KBA identifies missing phoneInfo configuration for the Contingent Worker person type as the cause. 

Why did the date placeholder format change in Latest People Profile?

Answer: 

  1. Open an employee profile in Latest People Profile.
  2. Select an HRIS effective-dated entity, such as Personal Information.
  3. Create a new record.
  4. Review thedateplaceholder format. 
  5. Treat the new placeholder format as expected behavior after the 1H 2026 release. 

Note: 

The placeholder changed from a generic date pattern to an example-style format such as `e.g. 31 Dec 2026`.

How to delete an orphaned Person ID in Employee Central?

Answer: 

  1. Go to Manage Employee Central Settings.
  2. Enable Compound Deletion.
  3. Confirm that Compound Delete is also enabled in Provisioning ifrequired.
  4. Run Check Tool.
  5. Select Employee Central Core as the application category.
  6. Run theOrphanPersoncheck. 
  7. UseDataInspector to verify the orphaned Person ID. 
  8. Go to Import Employee Data.
  9. Download the Compound Delete template.
  10. Enter `personInfo` as the HRIS element ID.
  11. Fill in the orphaned Person ID data.
  12. Import the Compound Delete file.

Note: 

If Compound Delete is not enabled, the KBA indicates that a support ticket may be needed to enable the functionality.

How to hide an employee's primary emergency contact address from their manager?

Answer: 

  1. Go to Configure Business Rules.
  2. Create a new rule.
  3. UsePrimaryEmergency Contact Model as the base object. 
  4. Use thescenarioTrigger onView Rules for HRIS Elements. 
  5. Create the visibility logic required by the business.
  6. Go to Manage Permission Groups.
  7. Create a group for users who should be able to view the address.
  8. Go to Manage Business Configuration.
  9. OpenemergencyContactPrimary.
  10. Assign theonViewrule. 
  11. Test by proxying as the manager.

Note: 

The primary emergency contact address is not controlled directly by Role-Based Permissions. The KBA suggests an onView business rule as the workaround.

How to fix formal-name not updating correctly in Personal Information?

Answer: 

  1. Go to Manage Business Configuration.
  2. OpenpersonalInfo.
  3. Enablethe isoverridden field for formal-name. 
  4. Grant Role-Based Permissions to view or editthe isoverridden field. 
  5. Edit theonSavebusiness rule that sets formal-name. 
  6. Add an action to set customize formal name to true.
  7. Save the rule.
  8. Insert a new Personal Information record and test the display name.

Note: 

The default formal name logic can overwrite business rule logic unless the formal name is treated as customized or name format functionality is used.

Why does Address Information appear during Add New Employee after mapping removal?

Answer: 

  1. Open the Add New Employee tool.
  2. Start the hiring process.
  3. Go to Address Information.
  4. Review the Address Type and Country fields.
  5. Treat the prepopulated Address Type and Country fields as expected behavior.

Note: 

The KBA states that Address Type and Country are automatically set in the hiring process within the Addresses section.

Why do Email or Home Address changes apply across employments?

Answer: 

  1. Open Contact Information for the current employment.
  2. Change the email or home address.
  3. Check the past employment.
  4. Confirm that the same contact information is reflected there.
  5. Treat the behavior as expected because contact information is person-based.

Note: 

It is not possible to maintain different contact information for each employment. The same concept applies to other person-based sections such as address and personal information.

How to fix inactive home and business address types in Check Tool?

Answer: 

  1. Run the Check Tool check for addresstypeshome and business. 
  2. Open Picklists Management for legacy picklists or Picklist Center for MDF picklists.
  3. Search for theaddressTypepicklist. 
  4. Locatethe external codes `home` and `business`. 
  5. Set both values to Active.
  6. Save the picklist.
  7. Rerun the Check Tool check.

Note: 

Address types home and business are mandatory for the application and must be active.

How to control User Data File field visibility and order?

Answer: 

  1. Go to Manage Business Configuration.
  2. Navigate to Employee Profile > View Template.
  3. OpensysUserDirectorySetting> sysAllUserDirectorySetting. 
  4. Click Details.
  5. Reorder standard elements using the arrows.
  6. Click Finish.
  7. Click Save.
  8. Export a User Data File template tovalidatethe order. 

Note: 

Some columns, such as STATUS, USERID, and ASSIGNMENTUUID, are system driven and their placement cannot be changed.

How to map Job Relationship names to generated documents?

Answer: 

  1. Go to Configure Business Rules.
  2. Create a new rule.
  3. Select Document Generation Template Mapping Rule.
  4. Use Job Relationships as the base object.
  5. In the If section, filter by Relationship Type.
  6. In the Then section, navigate to Job Relationships > Name > Personal Information.
  7. Select the required name field.
  8. Go to Document Generation > Manage Document Template Mapping.
  9. Select the document template.
  10. Set the mapping type to Rule.
  11. Assign theruleto the relevant field. 

Note: 

The KBA uses rule mapping to retrieve the name of a Job Relationships manager for document generation. 

How to make Last Name non-mandatory in Personal Information?

Answer: 

  1. Go to Manage Business Configuration.
  2. OpenpersonalInfo.
  3. Select the Last Name field.
  4. SetMandatory toNo. 
  5. Ensure that either First Name or Last Nameremainsmandatory. 
  6. Save the configuration.
  7. Test the Personal Information portlet.

Note: 

From the 2H 2025 release, only one of First Name or Last Name must be mandatory, allowing more flexible configuration.

How to manage common Biographical Information field requirements?

Answer: 

  1. Review the Biographical Information field list.
  2. Use anonViewbusiness rule if Person ID External should be hidden. 
  3. Set the person-id-externalfieldvisibility to none in the rule. 
  4. Assign the rule to thepersonInfoHRIS element. 
  5. To update Person ID External by UI, set the field visibility to Edit in Manage Business Configuration.
  6. To update by import, confirm that Allow Import is set to Yes for the field.

Note: 

Some Biographical Information behavior is hardcoded. For example, the duplicate Person ID External error message cannot be customized.

Which countries support country-specific Biographical Information configuration?

Answer: 

  1. Review therequirementfor localized Biographical Information. 
  2. Confirm whether the country is Chile, France, Brazil, or Venezuela.
  3. Use the available country-specific documentation for the supported country.
  4. Configure localized Biographical Information only for supported countries.
  5. Retest the country-specific fields after configuration.

Note: 

The KBA states that country-specific Biographical Information configuration is currently available for Chile, France, Brazil, and Venezuela.

Can masked personal data fields be made reportable?

Answer: 

  1. Identifywhether the field is masked. 
  2. Review whether the fieldcontainssensitive information such as National ID. 
  3. Do not expect masked fields to be available as reportable fields in standard reporting.
  4. Review reporting options only after confirming the field’s masking behavior.

Note: 

The KBA states that masked fields, such as National ID, cannot usually be made reportable because sensitive information is marked as masked.

How to hide Date of Birth or birth fields in Biographical Information?

Answer: 

  1. Review whether users need access to Biographical Information but not specific birth fields.
  2. Create anonViewbusiness rule for the personInfo HRIS element. 
  3. Set Date of Birth, Region of Birth, or Country of Birth visibility based on the business rule logic.
  4. Use a blank restriction if noone shouldsee the field. 
  5. Use a permission group if only selected users, such as HR, should see the field.
  6. Assign the rule topersonInfo.
  7. Test with the target user group.

Note: 

The Date of Birth permission under Employee Data refers to Employee Profile, not the Employee Central Biographical Information effective-dated entity. 

How to fix missing National ID display format during Add New Employee?

Answer: 

  1. Go to Add New Employee.
  2. Fill in the mandatory fields.
  3. Go to National ID Information.
  4. Select the country and card type.
  5. If the display format is missing, review the logged-in user’s permissions.
  6. Grant National ID edit permission to the logged-in user.
  7. Retest the Add New Employee flow.

Note: 

The KBA identifies the missing display format as expected behavior that is resolved by granting National ID edit permission. 

How to validate a phone number with a business rule?

Answer: 

  1. Go to Configure Business Rules.
  2. Create a business rule for Phone Information.
  3. Use a regular expression tovalidatephone number length or format. 
  4. Configure therulefor onChange or onSave as required. 
  5. Test therulein the UI. 
  6. Confirm that invalid phone numbers are blocked or handled as configured.

Note: 

Phone Information business rules execute in the UI. The KBA states that business rules on import of Phone Information are not currently supported.

How to fix missing address data for inactive employments in Latest People Profile?

Answer: 

  1. Confirm that employees can access inactiveemployments.
  2. Open the inactive employment inLatestPeople Profile. 
  3. Check whether Address Information, Personal Information, or Biographical Information is missing.
  4. Go to the target user’s permissions.
  5. Grant General User Permission > User Search.
  6. Grant Manage Hire > Include Inactive Employees in the search.
  7. Retest the inactive employment profile.

Note: 

The KBA identifies missing permissions as the cause when inactive employment data appears in legacy People Profile but not in Latest People Profile. 

How to uppercase dependent names using business rules?

Answer: 

  1. Confirm that Latest People Profile is enabled.
  2. Go to Configure Business Rules.
  3. Create a rule using the Trigger Cross-Entity Rules scenario.
  4. Keep Dependents Model as the base object.
  5. Navigate from Dependents Model to Personal Information Model.
  6. Set First Name, Middle Name, or Last Name values using uppercase logic.
  7. Assign the rule to thepersonRelationshipInfoHRIS element. 
  8. UseonView,onSave, or onChange based on the business need. 
  9. Test by adding a dependent with lowercase name values.

Note: 

Cross-entity rules for Dependents Information are supported only when Latest People Profile is enabled.

Conclusion

Personal Information issues in SAP SuccessFactors often involve HRIS element configuration, person-based data behavior, permissions, business rules, localization, or expected People Profile behavior. Checking these areas first can help administrators resolve common questions faster and prepare better support cases when needed. 

 

For specialized SAP SuccessFactors AMS support, contact 3Core Systems. 

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Shyam Reganti

SAP SuccessFactors Practice Lead