Reference Attribute Still Visible After Backing Relation Is End-Dated

Problem

A reference attribute (e.g., ParentNode) continues to appear on an entity's profile even after the underlying relation has been end-dated and is inactive. The expectation is that once a relation is inactive, the associated reference attribute should no longer be displayed.

Example Scenario

• Entity: entities/0wbcQJQ (type: McDHierarchy)

• Reference Attribute: ParentNode — backed by relation relations/0lsSAQV

• Relation Status: End-dated (endDate has passed), making it inactive

• Observed Behavior: ParentNode still appears in the entity's Attributes panel

  "uri": "configuration/entityTypes/McDHierarchy/attributes/ParentNode",
  "label": "Parent Node",
  "name": "ParentNode",
  "type": "Reference",
  "referencedEntityTypeURI": "configuration/entityTypes/McDHierarchy",
  "relationshipTypeURI": "configuration/relationTypes/McDHierarchyRelation",
  "referenceAttributeDirection": "childToParent"

{
  "uri": "relations/0lsSAQV",
  "type": "configuration/relationTypes/McDHierarchyRelation",
  "startObject": {
    "objectURI": "entities/11GxNlj",
    "label": "AN-146 - Netherlands Antilles"
  },
  "endObject": {
    "objectURI": "entities/0wbcQJQ",
    "label": "AN-147 - Netherlands Antilles"
  },
  "startDate": 1523318400000,
  "endDate": 1776364200000
}

{
  "uri": "entities/0wbcQJQ",
  "type": "configuration/entityTypes/McDHierarchy",
  "label": "Region - Netherlands Antilles",
  "attributes": {
    "LevelNumber": [
      {
        "value": "Level 3"
      }
    ],
    "LevelType": [
      {
        "value": "Region"
      }
    ],
    "LevelValue": [
      {
        "value": "Netherlands Antilles"
      }
    ],
    "ParentNode": [
      {
        "label": "Division - Netherlands Antilles",
        "uri": "entities/0wbcQJQ/attributes/ParentNode/0lsSAQV",
        "refEntity": {
          "objectURI": "entities/11GxNlj"
        },
        "refRelation": {
          "objectURI": "relations/0lsSAQV"
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Cause

This is not a bug. By default, the platform does not automatically suppress reference attributes whose backing relations have been end-dated. The entity payload retains the reference attribute value even after the relation becomes inactive, and the UI renders all persisted attribute values unless explicitly excluded.

Key points:

• The tenant parameter skipEndDatedReferenceAttributes controls this behavior.

• When not set (default), the platform does not automatically hide reference attributes tied to inactive relations.

• No UI configuration (e.g., "Show inactive values") applies to reference attributes rendered via the generic Attributes facet.

Resolution

There are two approaches to ensure reference attributes for inactive relations are no longer displayed:

Option 1: Use Delete Date Instead of End Date

Instead of end-dating the relation, apply a Delete Date at the crosswalk level. This removes the reference attribute from the entity payload entirely, so it will no longer appear in the UI.

When to use: When you want to permanently remove the reference from the entity profile.

Option 2: Enable skipEndDatedReferenceAttributes

Set the skipEndDatedReferenceAttributes optional parameter to true on the tenant. This instructs the platform to suppress reference attributes whose backing relations are end-dated.

API Call:

PUT https://<environment>.reltio.com/reltio/tenants/<tenantId>/optionalParameters Body: { "skipEndDatedReferenceAttributes": true }

When to use: When you want end-dated relations to automatically hide their associated reference attributes without deleting the relation data.

Additional Information

• Affected Configuration: Reference attributes of type Reference with a relationshipTypeURI and referenceAttributeDirection (e.g., childToParent)

• Related Tenant Parameters: skipEndDatedReferenceAttributes, entityEndDateStrategy