Bulk quote upload via API fails due to missing required fields in quote management integration

ERP Workday
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1

We’re implementing bulk quote uploads using the Workday REST API and consistently getting 400 Bad Request errors. The endpoint accepts individual quotes fine, but bulk operations fail immediately.

Our payload structure:


POST /quotes/bulk
{
  "quotes": [
    {"quoteNumber": "Q-2025-001", "customerId": "C100"},
    {"quoteNumber": "Q-2025-002", "customerId": "C101"}
  ]
}

Error response says “missing required field” but doesn’t specify which field. The API documentation for bulk endpoints is sparse compared to single-record operations. We’ve validated all fields that work in single uploads are present.

Has anyone successfully implemented bulk quote uploads? What required fields are different between single and bulk operations?

2

The bulk endpoint behavior differs significantly from single-record operations in R1-2023. After working through this exact issue with Workday support, here’s what’s required:

Required Field Validation for Bulk Operations:

The bulk quote endpoint needs a proper request envelope with batch tracking:


POST /quotes/bulk
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "bulkOperation": {
    "operationType": "CREATE",
    "batchId": "BATCH-2025-0315-001",
    "validateBeforeProcess": true,
    "items": [
      {
        "itemId": "ITEM-001",
        "quoteNumber": "Q-2025-001",
        "customerId": "C100",
        "effectiveDate": "2025-03-15"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Key differences from your original structure:

  1. Wrapper Object: Must use “bulkOperation” as the root element, not direct “quotes” array
  2. Operation Type: Required field specifying CREATE/UPDATE/DELETE
  3. Batch ID: Unique identifier for tracking the bulk operation (format: BATCH-YYYY-MM-DD-NNN)
  4. Item IDs: Each quote needs a temporary “itemId” for correlation in the response
  5. Validate Flag: “validateBeforeProcess” tells the API to check all records before processing any

API Error Response Handling:

The 400 error you’re seeing is the API’s way of rejecting malformed bulk requests. When the wrapper structure is missing, it can’t even begin validation, hence the vague error. With proper structure, you’ll get detailed field-level validation:


{
  "batchId": "BATCH-2025-0315-001",
  "status": "VALIDATION_FAILED",
  "results": [
    {
      "itemId": "ITEM-001",
      "status": "ERROR",
      "errors": [{"field": "effectiveDate", "message": "Required"}]
    }
  ]
}

Bulk Upload Endpoint Behavior:

Unlike single-record endpoints that process immediately, bulk operations are asynchronous:

  • Initial POST returns batch tracking ID
  • Use GET /quotes/bulk/status/{batchId} to check progress
  • Processing typically completes in 30-90 seconds for batches under 50 items
  • Maximum 100 quotes per batch in R1-2023 (increased to 200 in R2-2024)

The “validateBeforeProcess” flag is critical - set to true for initial testing so the entire batch fails if any record has issues. In production, set to false for partial processing where valid records succeed despite some failures.

Also verify your integration user has the “Bulk Operations - Quotes” security group assigned. Standard quote API permissions aren’t sufficient for bulk endpoints.

This should resolve your 400 errors. Test with a single-item batch first to verify the structure, then scale up.

3

The bulk quote endpoint has additional required fields that aren’t documented well. From my experience, you need to include “effectiveDate” and “businessProcessType” in each quote object within the array, even though these are optional for single uploads. The API uses different validation rules for bulk operations to ensure data consistency across the batch. Also verify your payload doesn’t exceed 100 quotes per request - that’s the undocumented limit I discovered through trial and error.

4

Check your request content-type header. Bulk endpoints are picky about this. Use “application/json; charset=utf-8” explicitly. Also, the bulk API expects a wrapper object with metadata. Your payload should look like this:


{
  "bulkRequest": {
    "batchId": "unique-batch-id",
    "quotes": [...]
  }
}

The batchId is required for tracking and must be unique per submission. That’s probably your missing field.

5

I ran into similar validation issues with bulk endpoints last quarter. The error messaging for bulk operations is frustratingly vague. One thing that caught me was the bulk endpoint requires explicit validation flags that aren’t needed for single records. Try adding a “validateOnly” parameter set to false in your request header. Also check if your authentication token has bulk operation permissions - sometimes the security groups are configured differently for bulk vs single operations.