{"id":25467,"date":"2025-12-12T06:07:31","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T06:07:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gtracademy.org\/?p=25467"},"modified":"2025-12-12T06:07:31","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T06:07:31","slug":"building-joined-reports-in-sap-successfactors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gtracademy.org\/staging\/building-joined-reports-in-sap-successfactors\/","title":{"rendered":"Building\u200b\u200d\u200b\u200c\u200d\u200b\u200d\u200c\u200b\u200d\u200b\u200c\u200d\u200b\u200d\u200c Joined Reports in SAP SuccessFactors: Unlocking MDF Custom Object Insights\u00a02025"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span data-contrast=\"none\">Why Joined Reports Matter in SAP SuccessFactors?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Metadata Framework (MDF), available Reports in <a href=\"https:\/\/gtracademy.org\/sap-success-factors-ec\/\"><strong>SAP SuccessFactors<\/strong>,<\/a> helps HR departments to innovate by creating tailor made objects that not only capture unique data but also extend the existing functionalities of the system thus recording such unusual business data as certifications, assets, or employee specific attributes. Nevertheless, recording the data is only half the way. To open the real door to business value, companies must be allowed to report on MDF alongside employee data.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Joined reports are the solution for this problem. Through the connection of MDF custom objects with core employee records HR leaders get the opportunity to pull out the most useful insights for workforce decision making. At <a href=\"https:\/\/gtracademy.org\/\"><strong>GTR Academy<\/strong>,<\/a> we assert that knowing how to use joined reports properly is an indispensable skill to consultants and HR analysts when working with SuccessFactors.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">Connect With Us:<a href=\"https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send\/?phone=919650518049&amp;text=Hi%2C%20I%20want%20to%20know%20more%20about%20GTR%20academy%20courses\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #339966;\"> WhatsApp<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content-asset videofit\"><iframe title=\"SAP MDF Reporting Troubleshooting Guide | Checklist for Configuration &amp; Validation\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wPzR6aCgzAk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h2 aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Why Joined Reports Often Fail?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Considering the many difficulties that teams face in the creation of joined reports, the main reasons behind such situations are the followings: subtle but at the same time very serious issues.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 aria-level=\"3\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Incorrect Join Keys<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">An MDF object needs to be linked with an employee identifier (e.g., user id or employed). If the join keys mismatching at all, then no records will be returned by reports.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 aria-level=\"3\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Schema Visibility<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In order for custom objects to be included in the reporting schema and available through the OData API. Without this, reporting tools won\u2019t be able to access them.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 aria-level=\"3\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Permissions (RBP)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Even if all the elements of the object are properly set up, Role-Based Permissions (RBP) could be the reason why it cannot be accessed. While administrators see the information, regular users don\u2019t.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 aria-level=\"3\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Effective Dating &amp; Filters<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In case the MDF has been set with a future effective date or an inactive flag, then the reporting tool won\u2019t show it. Also, rows may be hidden due to filters being applied in the wrong way.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Most of the time, these difficulties cause the team to be frustrated reports look like they are empty although in fact data is there.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">How to Build Successful Joined Reports?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Here is a list of recommendations to make the data from MDF custom objects properly visible in joined reports:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Validate Associations<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Make sure that the MDF object is connected with the correct employee data and that the right identifier (userId or sapPersonId) is being used.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Add Object to Reporting Schema<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Put a custom object in the reportable objects area so that reporting tools can easily access it.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Enable OData Exposure<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Make sure that the object and its attributes are OData API-accessible. Confirm it by testing with \/odata\/v2\/.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Check RBP Permissions<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Provide the custom object read access permission to all roles that will require reporting access.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"5\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Test with Simple Reports First<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Create an MDF-only report that will serve as a data availability check before doing a joined report.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"6\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Use Filters Carefully<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">First, do not apply any filters, then slowly put on effective date or active status filters step by step.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Following this set of tasks HR teams will be able to secure themselves while creating joined reports were, employee data will be merged with MDF custom objects thus allowing more profound insights into workforce trends to be discovered.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-25471\" src=\"https:\/\/gtracademy.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/659f2c4b-912d-4079-9897-69af15a82691.webp\" alt=\"Reports in SAP \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gtracademy.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/659f2c4b-912d-4079-9897-69af15a82691.webp 800w, https:\/\/gtracademy.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/659f2c4b-912d-4079-9897-69af15a82691-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/gtracademy.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/659f2c4b-912d-4079-9897-69af15a82691-768x432.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">Connect With Us:<a href=\"https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send\/?phone=919650518049&amp;text=Hi%2C%20I%20want%20to%20know%20more%20about%20GTR%20academy%20courses\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #339966;\"> WhatsApp<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Quick Takeaway<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Joined reports serve the function of linking custom MDF objects with employee data in<a href=\"https:\/\/gtracademy.org\/sap-success-factors-onboarding-2-0\/\"> <strong>SAP SuccessFactors<\/strong><\/a>. Thanks to the training provided by <a href=\"https:\/\/gtracademy.org\/\"><strong>GTR Academy<\/strong>,<\/a> you will be proficient in setting, opening and reporting on MDF objects thus keeping your HR analytics on the track of giving crisp \u200b\u200d\u200b\u200c\u200d\u200b\u200d\u200c\u200b\u200d\u200b\u200c\u200d\u200b\u200d\u200cinsights.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why Joined Reports Matter in SAP SuccessFactors?\u00a0 The Metadata Framework (MDF), available Reports in SAP SuccessFactors, helps HR departments to innovate by creating tailor made objects that not only capture unique data but also extend the existing functionalities of the system thus recording such unusual business data as certifications, assets, or employee specific attributes. Nevertheless,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":25471,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[2690,2691,2689,2692],"class_list":["post-25467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sap","tag-mdf-custom-object-reporting","tag-sap-sf-reporting","tag-sap-successfactors-joined-reports","tag-successfactors-analytics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gtracademy.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gtracademy.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gtracademy.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtracademy.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtracademy.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25467"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gtracademy.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25467\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtracademy.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gtracademy.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtracademy.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtracademy.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}