Local Transfer vs Global Transfer in Oracle Fusion HCM HDL – Technical Differences, Use Cases, and Best Practices

 

Local Transfer vs Global Transfer (HDL)

Description

Understand the difference between Local and Global Transfers in Oracle Fusion HCM HDL. Learn object-level changes, effective dating rules, HDL sequencing, and common errors with a clear technical comparison.

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Introduction

Employee transfers are common in enterprise organizations, but in Oracle Fusion HCM, not all transfers are the same. From an HDL (HCM Data Loader) perspective, Local Transfers and Global Transfers behave very differently and impact different Core HR objects.

Misunderstanding this difference often leads to:

• Assignment failures

• WorkRelationship errors

• Incorrect legal employer data

This blog provides a complete technical comparison of Local vs Global Transfers using HDL, including object structure, effective dating rules, HDL sequencing, and real project guidance.

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High-Level Difference

Local Vs Global Transfer Comparison Flow 

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Local Transfer – Technical Overview

What Is a Local Transfer?

A Local Transfer occurs when an employee moves within the same Legal Employer, such as:

• Department change

• Job or position change

• Location or manager change

The WorkRelationship remains unchanged.

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Local Transfer – Data Model Impact

Worker
 └─ WorkRelationship (Same LE)
     └─ WorkTerms (Same)
         └─ Assignment (Updated)

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Local Transfer – HDL Approach

• Use MERGE on Assignment

• No need to create new WorkRelationship or WorkTerms

• Effective date reflects the transfer date

Objects Used

• Worker (optional)

• Assignment (MERGE)

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Common Local Transfer Errors

• Incorrect effective start date

• Using CREATE instead of MERGE

• Overwriting historical assignment data

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Global Transfer – Technical Overview

What Is a Global Transfer?

A Global Transfer occurs when an employee moves from one Legal Employer to another, often across countries.

This requires creation of a new WorkRelationship.

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Global Transfer – Data Model Impact

Worker
 ├─ WorkRelationship (Old LE) → End-dated
 └─ WorkRelationship (New LE)
     └─ WorkTerms
         └─ Assignment

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Global Transfer – HDL Approach

• End-date old WorkRelationship

• Create new WorkRelationship

• Create new WorkTerms

• Create new Assignment

Objects Used

• Worker (MERGE – optional)

• WorkRelationship (MERGE + CREATE)

• WorkTerms (CREATE)

• Assignment (CREATE)

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Effective Dating Comparison

Rule	Local Transfer	Global Transfer
WorkRelationship	No change	End-date old, create new
WorkTerms	No change	Start with new WR
Assignment Start Date	Transfer date	Same as new WR
Historical Data	Preserved	Preserved

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HDL Sequencing Comparison

Local Transfer

1. Assignment.dat (MERGE)

Global Transfer

1. WorkRelationship.dat (End-date old)

2. WorkRelationship.dat (Create new)

3. WorkTerms.dat (Create)

4. Assignment.dat (Create)

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How to Decide: Local vs Global Transfer

Ask these questions:

1. Is the Legal Employer changing?

2. Is the payroll or country changing?

3. Is a new WorkRelationship required?

If the answer to #1 is YES, it is a Global Transfer.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Treating Global Transfer as Local Transfer
❌ Reusing Assignment across Legal Employers
❌ Missing WorkTerms during Global Transfer
❌ Incorrect effective dating across objects

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Best Practices

• Always confirm Legal Employer change first

• Use incremental HDL loads

• Keep separate files for each object

• Test transfer scenarios in lower environments

• Validate results in Person Management UI

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Conclusion

Understanding the technical difference between Local and Global Transfers in HDL is essential for accurate data management in Oracle Fusion HCM. While Local Transfers are assignment-level changes, Global Transfers require precise handling of WorkRelationship, WorkTerms, and Assignment objects.

Mastering this distinction is a key skill for senior Fusion HCM Technical Consultants.

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HDL for Global Transfers in Oracle Fusion HCM – Complete Technical Walkthrough

 

HDL for Global Transfers: Technical Walkthrough

Description

Learn how to perform Global Transfers using Oracle Fusion HCM HDL with the WorkRelationship data model. This technical walkthrough explains required objects, effective dating, HDL structure, common errors, and best practices.

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Introduction

A Global Transfer in Oracle Fusion HCM occurs when an employee moves from one legal employer to another while retaining the same person record. From an HDL perspective, global transfers are one of the most complex Core HR transactions due to effective dating, object relationships, and sequencing rules.

With the current HCM data model, Global Transfers are handled using WorkRelationship , WorkTerms and Assignment

This blog provides a step-by-step technical walkthrough of handling Global Transfers using HCM Data Loader (HDL) based on the correct object structure.

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Global Transfer – Correct Data Model Structure

Visual Diagram – Before vs After Global Transfer

BEFORE Global Transfer

Worker (PersonNumber: E1001)
 └─ WorkRelationship (India Legal Employer)
     └─ WorkTerms
         └─ Assignment (Primary)

AFTER Global Transfer

Worker (PersonNumber: E1001)
 ├─ WorkRelationship (India Legal Employer) → End-dated
 │   └─ WorkTerms
 │       └─ Assignment (End-dated)
 │
 └─ WorkRelationship (US Legal Employer)
     └─ WorkTerms
         └─ Assignment (Primary)

This visual clearly shows that during a Global Transfer:

• The Person record remains unchanged

• A new WorkRelationship is created for the new Legal Employer

• WorkTerms and Assignment are never reused across Legal Employers

Worker (same PersonNumber)
 ├─ WorkRelationship (Old Legal Employer) → End-dated
 └─ WorkRelationship (New Legal Employer)
     └─ WorkTerms
         └─ Assignment

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Key HDL Objects Involved

To process a Global Transfer using HDL, the following objects are required:

1. Worker

2. WorkRelationship (End-date old)

3. WorkRelationship (Create new)

4. WorkTerms (Create new)

5. Assignment (Create new)

⚠️ WorkTerms and Assignments cannot be reused across Legal Employers.

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Important Pre-Requisites

Before loading HDL:

• New Legal Employer must exist

• Business Unit must be correctly mapped

• Job, Position, Grade, Location must be valid for the new LE

• SourceSystemOwner must remain consistent

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Effective Dating Rules for Global Transfers

Follow these critical rules:

• New WorkRelationship start date = Global transfer date

• Old WorkRelationship end date = Day before new WorkRelationship start date

• WorkTerms start date = New WorkRelationship start date

• Assignment start date = WorkTerms start date

Violating these rules will cause HDL failures.

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HDL Load Sequencing (Mandatory)

Load HDL files in this exact order:

1. Worker.dat (MERGE – optional updates)

2. WorkRelationship.dat (End-date old WR)

3. WorkRelationship.dat (Create new WR)

4. WorkTerms.dat (Create new WT)

5. Assignment.dat (Create new Assignment)

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Common HDL Errors and Fixes

❌ Assignment Exists Under Old Legal Employer

Error:

Assignment already exists

Fix:

• Do not reuse old AssignmentNumber

• Create a new Assignment under the new WorkRelationship

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❌ Effective Date Validation Error

Error:

Effective start date must be on or after WorkRelationship start date

Fix:

• Align WorkRelationship, WorkTerms, and Assignment start dates

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❌ Missing WorkRelationship

Error:

No WorkRelationship exists

Fix:

• Ensure new WorkRelationship load completed successfully

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Post-Load Validation Checklist

After HDL load:

• Verify old WorkRelationship is end-dated

• Confirm new Legal Employer on WorkRelationship

• Validate WorkTerms and Assignment details

• Check Person Management UI

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Best Practices for Global Transfers via HDL

• Always test in lower environments

• Use incremental loads only

• Keep separate HDL files per object

• Maintain clear SourceSystemId strategy

• Capture ESS Request IDs

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Real Project Scenario

Scenario: Employee transferred from India LE to US LE

Approach:

• End-date India WorkRelationship on 31-Mar

• Create US WorkRelationship on 01-Apr

• Create WorkTerms and Assignment under US LE

Result: Clean Global Transfer without data corruption.

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Conclusion

Global Transfers using HDL require precise control over WorkRelationship, WorkTerms, and Assignment objects, along with strict effective dating and sequencing. When executed correctly, HDL provides a reliable and auditable way to manage cross–legal employer movements.

This knowledge is a key differentiator for senior Fusion HCM Technical Consultants.

SQL Query to Fetch Global Transfer records in Fusion HCM

SQL Query to Fetch Global Transfer records in Fusion HCM 

select

papf.person_number, ppnf.full_name,

to_char(ppos.date_start,'mm/dd/yyyy') Hire_date

,(select hou.name from hr_organization_units hou where organization_id = ppos.LEGAL_ENTITY_ID)  Current_LE

from per_All_assignments_m paam

,per_all_people_F papf

,per_person_names_f ppnf

,PER_PERIODS_OF_SERVICE ppos

where paam.person_id = papf.person_id

and papf.person_id = ppnf.person_id

and ppos.period_of_service_id = paam.period_of_service_id

and ppnf.name_type = 'GLOBAL'

and sysdate between papf.effective_start_date and papf.effective_end_date

and sysdate between ppnf.effective_start_date and ppnf.effective_end_date

and  sysdate  between paam.effective_start_date and paam.effective_end_date

and paam.person_id = papf.person_id

and paam.assignment_status_type = 'ACTIVE' 

and paam.assignment_type = 'E'

and paam.action_code = 'GLB_TRANSFER'

Note :- Do let me know in case of any issue in query.