required field missing: [Account.Name]" salesforce error
Fixes Salesforce 'required field missing' on Account.Name and similar: the payload omitted a universally required field. Populate it or check record-type requirements. Use when a write fails naming a missing required field. Not for validation rules.
TL;DR
Account.Name and a few other fields are required at the database level, so the write fails no matter what the page layout says. Populate the missing field in your payload. If the value genuinely does not exist yet, use a placeholder convention your team agrees on rather than skipping the field.
Error
[ {
"message" : "Required fields are missing: [Account.Name]",
"errorCode" : "REQUIRED_FIELD_MISSING",
"fields" : [ "Name" ]
} ]Steps
- Read the fields array to get the exact missing field. Expected: you know which value to supply.
- Check whether the requirement comes from the field itself (Name on Account is universal) or from the record type or a validation rule. Expected: you know whether every record needs it or only some.
- Add the field to your payload or CSV column mapping. Expected: the write succeeds.
- For agents filling partial data, define a placeholder convention (for example, "Unknown - [source]") and document it. Expected: no silent nulls, and downstream dedupe can spot placeholders.
- If a record type makes extra fields required, either set the right record type or supply those fields too. Expected: no second round of required-field errors.
When to use
- Writes fail with REQUIREDFIELDMISSING naming a field.
- An agent enrichment flow creates accounts with only an id or domain.
- CSV imports report missing required columns.
When not to use
- FIELDCUSTOMVALIDATION_EXCEPTION (a rule fired, the field was present).
- Fields that are required only on the page layout (API writes ignore layout requirements).
Tool compatibility
- Salesforce REST, SOAP, and Bulk APIs; all standard objects with required fields.
- Data Loader column mapping and agent payload builders.
Variant phrasings
Required fields are missing
The long form; the fields array lists every missing field at once.
required field missing on custom objects
Custom required fields behave the same; check the field definition.
Why it happens
Some fields are required at the schema level and cannot be bypassed by any API flag. Page layouts can add their own required markers, but the API only enforces schema-level and record-type-level requirements.
Edge cases
- Person accounts require LastName rather than the account Name pattern; mixing the models gives this error.
- Record-type-specific required fields only bite when that record type is set; a load that worked for one record type fails for another.
- Placeholder values can poison matching rules; keep a list of your placeholders out of dedupe comparisons.
Provenance
Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_DkIgKHLL1kZTwYGKOrMm8A