Dependent Lookup Validation Errors When Parent Lookup Attribute Is Hidden

Summary

A customer may see dependent lookup validation errors when an attribute that acts as the parent/driver for a dependent RDM lookup is configured as hidden:true in L3.

This is not a UI configuration issue and should not be described as a DVF rule failure unless the error response specifically identifies DVF. In the reviewed case, the error is a dependent lookup validation error.

Applies to

Reltio tenants using:

• RDM lookup types
• Dependent lookup configuration through dependentLookupAttributes
• Nested attributes rendered in the UI, such as an AttributeTable
• A parent/driver lookup attribute configured as hidden:true in L3

Example entity type:

configuration/entityTypes/Project

Example parent/child lookup relationship:

Parent / driver:
configuration/entityTypes/Project/attributes/result/attributes/variableType
Dependent child:
configuration/entityTypes/Project/attributes/result/attributes/type

The customer configured RDM lookup dependencies. The lookup dependencies work as long as the parent/driver attribute is visible. However, when the parent/driver attribute is set to hidden in L3, saving the entity may produce validation.

The errors appear against the dependent child lookup attribute, for example:

result > type

The parent/driver lookup attribute defines dependentLookupAttributes:

{
 "uri": "configuration/entityTypes/Project/attributes/result/attributes/variableType",
 "name": "variableType",
 "lookupCode": "rdm/lookupTypes/PathVariableType",
 "dependentLookupAttributes": [
   "configuration/entityTypes/Project/attributes/result/attributes/type"
 ]
}

The dependent child lookup attribute is:

{
 "uri": "configuration/entityTypes/Project/attributes/result/attributes/type",
 "name": "type",
 "lookupCode": "rdm/lookupTypes/PathVariableType"
}

When the parent is configured as:

{
  "uri": "configuration/entityTypes/Project/attributes/result/attributes/variableType",
  "hidden": true
}

The UI save/validation flow may no longer resolve the expected parent lookup context for the existing dependent child values.

Why this happens

Reltio dependent lookups are used when one lookup value drives the valid values of another lookup value. Reltio documentation states that users cannot edit a dependent lookup value when the attribute it depends on is empty. The dependency itself is configured through dependentLookupAttributes.

Reltio’s RDM guidance for UI lookup retrieval with dependentLookupAttributes identifies this configuration as an L3 configuration pattern and describes using dependentLookupAttributes on lookup attributes for filtered UI lookup retrieval. The guidance indicates this dependency belongs on the lookup attribute that drives the dependent lookup behavior.

Setting hidden:true on the parent lookup attribute does not directly cause a DVF error. However, it can cause dependent lookup validation errors because the parent/driver lookup value may not be available in the same way during the UI save/validation flow.

This is not a DVF failure unless the response payload explicitly identifies Reltio/DVFAction, a DVF function, or another DVF-specific validation result.

In the reviewed scenario, the errors are better described as Dependent lookup validation errors

Recommended resolution

Keep the parent/driver lookup attribute non-hidden in L3.

Recommended configuration:

{
  "uri": "configuration/entityTypes/Assay/attributes/result/attributes/variableType",
  "hidden": false
}