We recently migrated our demand planning Excel templates from ActiveX controls to Form controls in SI 2211, and now users are experiencing validation failures when uploading demand plan data. The error message indicates master data validation issues related to parent-child relationships.
The upload process worked fine with our old ActiveX-based templates. After the migration, when planners try to upload their demand forecasts, they get blocked with messages like “Master data validation failed: Invalid parent-child relationship for product hierarchy.”
I’ve checked the Manage Master Data app and the product hierarchies look correct there. The parent-child relationships are properly maintained. But the Excel add-in seems to be rejecting the data during upload. Has anyone encountered similar issues after migrating Excel templates? Are there specific validation rules in the new Form controls that weren’t enforced in ActiveX versions?
Based on your description, here’s the complete solution addressing all three aspects of your issue:
Excel Template Migration (ActiveX to Form Controls)
The Form controls implementation requires a different template structure than ActiveX. You need to rebuild your Excel template with explicit column definitions for each hierarchy level. The key difference is that Form controls don’t perform implicit parent resolution - every row must contain the complete hierarchy path.
Master Data Parent-Child Validation
The new validation engine checks:
- Complete hierarchy path presence: All parent levels must be populated in each row
- Valid parent-child relationships: Each child must reference an existing parent
- Hierarchy consistency: The same product cannot appear with different parents across rows
- Active master data: All referenced products must be active in the planning area
To fix your template:
- Add columns for ALL hierarchy levels (not just the planning level)
- Ensure each row includes: Level1_ID, Level1_Desc, Level2_ID, Level2_Desc, …, LevelN_ID, LevelN_Desc
- Use VLOOKUP formulas to auto-populate parent levels based on the planning level product
- Validate your template data against a master data export from Manage Master Data app
Manage Master Data App Usage
Use the app to verify and correct any hierarchy issues:
- Export your complete product hierarchy to Excel
- Check for products with missing parent assignments
- Identify any products with multiple parent paths (these need special handling)
- Run the master data validation report to find orphaned products
- After corrections, run the master data integration job to sync to planning area
- Wait 5-10 minutes for the integration to complete before attempting Excel upload
For the products that are failing specifically:
- Open Manage Master Data app
- Search for those product IDs
- Verify each level of their hierarchy path is properly assigned
- Check if there are duplicate product IDs with different hierarchy assignments
- If duplicates exist, deactivate the incorrect hierarchy assignments
The validation in Form controls is actually beneficial long-term as it enforces data quality. Once your template structure is corrected with complete hierarchy paths and your master data is clean, uploads will be more reliable than with the old ActiveX approach.
Test with a small subset of products first to validate the new template structure before rolling out to all planners.
This sounds like a master data synchronization timing issue. When you upload via the Excel add-in with Form controls, it validates against the current master data snapshot in the planning area. If your Manage Master Data app shows correct hierarchies but the Excel upload fails, there might be a delay in master data activation.
Have you checked the master data activation status in your planning area? After making changes in Manage Master Data, you need to run the master data integration job to sync the changes to the planning area. The Excel add-in validates against the planning area data, not directly against the Manage Master Data repository. Try running the master data integration job and then attempt the upload again.
I had exactly this problem last month. The issue is that Form controls don’t support implicit hierarchy resolution like ActiveX did. You need to update your template to include all hierarchy level columns. Also check if you have any products with multiple parent assignments - Form controls are stricter about handling multi-parent scenarios in the product hierarchy.
I’ve seen this issue before. The Form controls implementation has stricter validation logic compared to ActiveX. Check if your Excel template is passing the complete product hierarchy path in the upload. The new controls validate the entire parent-child chain during data submission, not just the leaf node.
Thanks for the suggestions. I ran the master data integration job, but still getting the same validation errors. I also noticed that the error appears specifically when uploading data for certain product groups. Other product hierarchies upload without issues.
Check your Excel template structure carefully. The Form controls require explicit column mapping for all hierarchy levels. In your template, you need separate columns for each level of the product hierarchy (Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, etc.), and each row must have values for ALL parent levels, not just the product being planned.
For example, if you’re planning at Product SKU level (Level 3), your Excel row must include: Product Family (Level 1), Product Group (Level 2), and Product SKU (Level 3). The ActiveX version was more lenient and would sometimes infer parent relationships, but Form controls validate the complete path explicitly.
Another thing to verify: open the Manage Master Data app and export your product hierarchy to Excel. Compare the hierarchy structure there with what you’re using in your planning template. Sometimes there are hidden characters or formatting differences that cause validation failures.