How to use an External id in salesforce workbench upsert?

Question

I want to update a number of Cases using a CSV file that contains two fields: case number (NOT technical id, but the automatically generated human readable id/name) and a textual complaint.

Data loader is not able to handle this and I found a suggestion to use Workbench instead. So I uploaded the file and set the proper fields. This is right before you start the actual upsert:

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But when I click "Confirm workbench Upsert", all records are rejected: "CaseNumber Not Specified, MISSING_ARGUMENT"

If I preview the CSV file, CaseNumber is filled with the data that I expect to see there.

What am I missing here?

Anisha Dalal · Accepted Answer

The auto number field can not be mapped, you're trying to map by an auto number field, which is read-only, so the mapping logic doesn't support what you're trying to do. This would work if you were working with a mappable field, such as custom External Id on cases, or a required name field (e.g. Account Name). However, it would be possible to patch workbench to support this, as it is open source, but you'd have to run your own local copy or submit a PR (Pull Request).

How to use an External id in salesforce workbench upsert?

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