errors / soap-web-services / invalid-id-value-reference-type
Invalid ID Value for a Reference ID Type
The error SOAP-ENV:Client.validationError: Invalid ID value. 'ABC123' is not a valid ID value for type Organization_Reference_ID
What it means
You sent an ID that doesn't exist in this tenant for that reference type. The format is fine - Workday just can't find anything with that ID. This is a data mismatch, not a syntax problem.
Troubleshooting
- Check which reference ID type the request is using - Organization_Reference_ID and Cost_Center_Reference_ID are not interchangeable.
- Pull up the Integration IDs report in the tenant (or View Organization > Integration IDs) and confirm the value actually exists there.
- Check whether you're pointing at the right environment - IDs differ between IMPL and PROD, and a payload built for one will fail in the other.
- If the value comes from an upstream system, look for truncation, extra whitespace, or a stale mapping table.
⚡ Quick fix
Copy the correct ID from the Integration IDs report, put it in the payload, and re-run.
✓ Permanent fix
Add an ID lookup step in the integration that resolves values against the target tenant before the call. Maintain a per-environment mapping table so IMPL payloads never reach PROD unchanged.
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