"Attribute ... cannot be NULL" error for optional attributes while importing data

[pinja]

I'm using the import wizard for importing data, but am getting this error for some fields, even if they aren't required (they're required in a business process, though). I could put some dummy values in but that seems silly. Any way to fix this?

[pinja · Accepted solution]

Not completely sure yet, but it seems that the problem was that some business rules changed certain fields into required fields (e.g. if field A is true, then field B is required). Disabling those rules seems to have helped.

EDIT: It works!! Yay.

[Samxx]

I have getting the same error: Attribute 'name' cannot be NULL trying to import a solution to a new environment. I have been through all my columns and form names and everywhere I can think of and cannot find where this issue lies. I have no workflows or business rules, just several tables and forms in a solution. 

The output XML suggests the issue is in a form, but having checked the form, everything has a 'name'

Any ideas on how to go to resolve this, other than recreating all the tables and forms manually on the other environment, which will take days. 

[Samxx]

This is the XML output. Not sure if anyone would know where to look?

<Row ss:AutoFitHeight="0" type="Form">

                <Cell ss:StyleID="s137" name="Time">

                    <Data ss:Type="String">

                        09:14:25.01

                    </Data>

                </Cell>

                <Cell ss:StyleID="s137" name="ItemType">

                    <Data ss:Type="String">

                        Form

                    </Data>

                </Cell>

                <Cell ss:StyleID="s137" name="Id">

                    <Data ss:Type="String">

                    </Data>

                </Cell>

                <Cell ss:StyleID="s137" name="Name">

                    <Data ss:Type="String">

                        sk_Booking

                    </Data>

                </Cell>

                <Cell ss:StyleID="s137" name="LocalizedName">

                    <Data ss:Type="String">

                        Booking

                    </Data>

                </Cell>

                <Cell ss:StyleID="s137" name="OriginalName">

                    <Data ss:Type="String">

                        Booking

                    </Data>

                </Cell>

                <Cell ss:StyleID="s137" name="Description">

                    <Data ss:Type="String">

                    </Data>

                </Cell>

                <Cell ss:StyleID="s137" name="Status">

                    <Data ss:Type="String">

                        Failure

                    </Data>

                </Cell>

                <Cell ss:StyleID="s137" name="ErrorCode">

                    <Data ss:Type="String">

                        0x80040200

                    </Data>

                </Cell>

                <Cell ss:StyleID="s137" name="ErrorText">

                    <Data ss:Type="String">

                        Attribute 'name' cannot be NULL

                    </Data>

                </Cell>

            </Row>

[brenloney]

Our scenario/resolution was a bit different from other answers. Please see below:

Error Message:

Attribute 'name' cannot be NULL

Root Cause:

The Quick View forms in the patch were created using the "Save As" function on an existing Quick View form. For example, the Cardiovascular Systems Medications QV was created by saving the Cardiovascular Systems Diagnoses QV as a new form. There appears to be a Microsoft bug such that when the form is "copied" over the newly created Quick View form is missing an attribute "LocalizedNames".

The original Cardiovascular Systems Medications QuickView XML code:

 

 The copied Cardiovascular Systems Medications QuickView XML code:

 

Fix:

I was able to resolve this bug by adding all the "copied" (Medications) Quick View forms to a new solution in Dev, export as unmanaged, unzip the exported solution file, and updating the customizations.xml file in the extracted solution file. Inside the customizations.xml file, I added the LocalizedNames attribute (with its correct name) to each form's properties. I then zipped the solution files back up, increased the solution version number, and imported the updated solution back into Dev as unmanaged. I was able to confirm that the form XML code contains the LocalizedNames attribute now.