created a broken user with alfresco share user upload

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Valatronic

Hi guys,

we have a test system running alfresco 7.4

While testing, we uploaded a user (csv import) but the encoding of the csv file was utf-16 bom.

The user was created without any error but when you try to open the user in share, you'll get an error: "Cannot load data"

Using the REST Api people endpoint, the user is listed as well but the user has unicode characters like "\u0000L" within the id.

Now, when I try to delete the user via API DELETE /alfresco/service/api/people/{id} I get a 404. Also tried to url encode the id, but still 404.

Do you have any ideas how to get rid of this user except of directly delete it in the database?

brandon698sherr

Hello there @Valatronic ,

A user was created with a corrupted ID due to incorrect CSV file encoding (UTF-16 BOM).
This user cannot be accessed or deleted through standard Alfresco Share interface or the REST API (404 error).

Deleting via REST API DELETE /alfresco/service/api/people/{id} (unsuccessful)
URL encoding the user ID (unsuccessful).

It's crucial to create a full backup of your Alfresco database before proceeding.
Use a database query tool to directly access the Alfresco database and find the corrupted user's ID. Look for tables containing user information (e.g., "useraccount").

Modifying the database directly should be a last resort due to potential data integrity issues. If you're not familiar with SQL queries, seek help from a database administrator to avoid unintended consequences.
Write and execute a DELETE query targeting the specific user ID in the relevant table. Ensure you're comfortable with SQL queries before attempting this step.