REST API - Contact created without mandatory field

[sahilkhanna]

Below is the API request I use to create a Contact. 

curl --location 'https://{instanceUrl}.service-now.com/api/now/table/customer_contact' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer DiJ8YZG3S60-...A9FUxg' \
--data-raw '{
        "first_name": "Ophelia",
        "last_name": "Kulas"
}'

The contact is created. However, the request should have resulted in an error as the mandatory "email" and "account" fields aren't in the API request.

The fields are blank when I open the created contact in the ServiceNow UI.

When I Update the contact from the UI without filling in the mandatory fields, I get the error "The following mandatory fields are not filled in: Account, Email".

Could you help me with the questions below?

• Is there a reason why the API ad UI behave differently?
• When the mandatory fields are missing, can the API return an error instead of creating the contact?

[Amit Verma · Accepted solution]

Hi @sahilkhanna 

REST API will only give you the mandatory fields missing error if those fields are marked as mandatory in the dictionary record or a data policy is being enforced on them. In your case, probably, the Account and Email fields are being made mandatory via UI Policy that's why no error being thrown. You can refer below discussion to understand it better and derive a solution for your problem:

https://www.servicenow.com/community/developer-forum/required-field-not-throwing-error-in-rest-api/m...

Thanks and Regards

Amit Verma

[Ankur Bawiskar · Accepted solution]

@sahilkhanna 

Hope you are doing good.

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