Error Library / AEP

XDM ingestion error: "Missing required field" (_id, timestamp)

What you seeRow 1: Missing required field: _id; Missing required field: timestamp

Every record written to a dataset must contain the fields its XDM schema marks as required. For the XDM ExperienceEvent class that always includes _id and timestamp, so an events file without them is rejected row by row.

Why it happens

  • The schema behind the dataset declares some fields as required. For ExperienceEvent schemas, _id (a unique id for each event) and timestamp (when it happened) are required by the class itself, whatever field groups you add.
  • Source files rarely use those names. A web analytics export usually has something like event_id and event_timestamp, so unless those columns are mapped to _id and timestamp the record arrives without them.
  • A column that exists but is empty on some rows fails the same way for those rows.

How to fix it

  1. Open the schema and note every required field (for ExperienceEvent: _id and timestamp at minimum).
  2. Map your source columns to them: event_id → _id and event_timestamp → timestamp.
  3. If the source has no unique event id, generate one during mapping (for example from a hash of user id + timestamp + event type) so that re-ingesting the same file doesn't create duplicates.
  4. Re-run a small test batch first, then check the batch's failed-row count before ingesting the full file.

Before and after

Fails
{ "event_id": "E-1001", "event_timestamp": "2024-05-01T10:15:00Z", "page_name": "home" }
Works
{ "_id": "E-1001", "timestamp": "2024-05-01T10:15:00Z", "web": { "webPageDetails": { "name": "home" } } }

Common questions

Why are _id and timestamp required when my schema didn't add them?

They come from the ExperienceEvent class the schema is built on, not from a field group, so they are required in every ExperienceEvent schema.

Can I make a required field optional?

Not for fields the class itself requires. For fields you added, you can change the requirement in the schema before it is used by a Profile-enabled dataset.

Practise the fix

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AdsBot is an independent training provider, not affiliated with Adobe. Behaviour can differ between ingestion methods and product versions; always test with a small batch first.