SCIM connector cannot clear schema extension properties using PATCH operation (SAP BTP/CIS) (4384189)

When provisioning users from Identity Manager to SAP BTP or SAP Cloud Identity Services (CIS) using the SCIM connector, clearing an extension schema attribute (such as costCenter or department) fails with an HTTP 400 or 500 error.

For example, when the costCenter attribute is cleared in Identity Manager, the synchronization log shows:

{"status":"400","scimType":"invalidValue","detail":"Attribute with name 'costCenter' has incorrect value data type"}

When an extension schema attribute is cleared, the SCIM connector sends a PATCH request with "op": "replace" and a null value.

According to the SCIM standard (RFC 7644), clearing an attribute should use "op": "remove" instead.

SAP BTP and CIS reject the null value as an invalid data type.

This is a known product defect (ID 472094).

If you encounter this issue, please contact our Support and request a hotfix for defect ID 472094.

Workaround

Until a fix is available, you can modify the affected mapping rules in the Synchronization Editor to send a placeholder value (e.g., "N/A") instead of null. This avoids the error while still indicating that the attribute was cleared.

Steps:

1. Open Synchronization Editor and open your SAP BTP/CIS synchronization project.

2. Go to Mappings and select the User object mapping.

3. Find the affected mapping rule (e.g., "Spare field no. 05 <-> costCenter") and double-click to edit it.

4. At the bottom of the dialog, in the "Condition for use" section, switch from "Condition" to "Scripting".

5. Enter the following script (replace CustomString05 with the actual source property name for your mapping):

If Left.CustomString05 Is Nothing OrElse String.IsNullOrEmpty(Left.CustomString05.ToString()) Then
    Return "N/A"
End If
Return Left.CustomString05

6. Click Ok to save the rule.

7. Repeat for any other extension schema attributes that can be cleared.

8. Save the project and test with a single user before running a full synchronization.

Please note that this workaround sets the attribute to a placeholder value instead of truly removing it from the target system.