GetCustomer fails for a subset of accounts when resolving ClientEntityCustomerNumber for the ClientLink dual-ID requirement

Question

GetCustomer fails for a subset of accounts when resolving ClientEntityCustomerNumber for the ClientLink dual-ID requirement

Ashmit Mehta 5

Bing Ads API v13, Customer Management service, via the Bing Ads .NET SDK 13.0.28 using the REST endpoints. Production.

We maintain a third-party Microsoft Advertising management tool. Our users connect their advertiser accounts to our manager account, which we implement with AddClientLinks and UpdateClientLinks via the Customer Management service.

Following the dual-ID requirement, we updated our integration to send ClientEntityCustomerNumber on both Add and Update for account-level client links.

How we obtain the value - We have only ever stored the client's customer ID, never the customer number, so we resolve the number at link time using the client-side user's own OAuth credentials:

GetAccount(accountId) -> Account.ParentCustomerId

GetCustomer(parentCustomerId) -> Customer.Number

This works for most users. so the payload shape and the identifier itself appear to be correct.

Our logging did not capture the fault Detail, so we do not have the underlying error code. TrackingIds for three failing GetCustomer calls, if they help identify the exact error:

```
a16eb27b-568b-40ed-aee0-eacfdd427811
```
```
84b79756-98e2-4f5d-90c8-77827956bc0a
```
```
22dcb6e1-f337-4f68-bec3-43aeb2bed0a3
```

The second and third are the same account.

What is the supported way to obtain a client advertiser account's owning customer number for ClientEntityCustomerNumber, for cases where resolving it through GetCustomer fails?

In particular, is reading ClientEntityCustomerNumber from a SearchClientLinks response called with the client-side user's own credentials, for an account that user is authorised on -- an intended source? And is that field populated for client links created before 9 September?

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Answer 1

MS Advertising - Chris 0 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello Ashmit Mehta,

Thank you for using our Microsoft Advertising Learn Q&A Platform!

I appreciate the detailed information you've provided, including the Tracking IDs for the affected requests.

I checked with our backend team regarding the dual-ID linking requirements.

For the current implementation:

Manager Account Linking requires

Manager Account ID
Manager Account Number

Account Linking requires:

Manager Account Number
Account Number

Please note that this dual-ID process for API users is currently still in a pilot phase and has not yet been fully rolled out as a general requirement.

Based on the information you shared, your current approach of resolving the required identifier through:

GetAccount(AccountId) -> ParentCustomerId
GetCustomer(ParentCustomerId) -> Customer.Number

appears to be working correctly for most accounts. This suggests that the payload structure and the identifier values being submitted are generally correct.

If your environment or the API response is requesting both identifiers, you may proceed with supplying the required values and testing the operation. Since the feature is still in pilot for API users, we would like to understand whether the failures are related to the dual-ID requirement itself or to the underlying GetCustomer lookup for specific accounts.

Regarding your question about alternative sources for ClientEntityCustomerNumber, I do not currently have confirmation on whether SearchClientLinks is the officially supported fallback source, or whether that field is guaranteed to be populated for links created before September 9. I can raise this question with our Engineering team if needed.

Should the operation continue to fail after providing both required identifiers, please share any fault details available from the API response, along with the relevant Tracking IDs so I can escalate this further to our Engineering Team.

The Tracking IDs you provided are:

a16eb27b-568b-40ed-aee0-eacfdd427811
84b79756-98e2-4f5d-90c8-77827956bc0a
22dcb6e1-f337-4f68-bec3-43aeb2bed0a3

We will be happy to assist further if additional information becomes available.

Linking to an existing account

The following Microsoft Advertising API documentation may be helpful:

AddClientLinks (create/link manager and client relationships).
UpdateClientLinks (update or accept existing links).
Account Hierarchy guide (manager account and advertiser account relationships).

Kind regards,
Chris | Microsoft Advertising Support Specialist | 1-800-518-5689

Ashmit Mehta 5 Reputation points

2026-09-17T17:14:07.6366667+00:00
Thanks Chris, that's helpful!

Please do raise the SearchClientLinks question with Engineering. Specifically: is reading ClientEntityCustomerNumber from a SearchClientLinks response an intended source for that value, and is the field populated for client links created before the rollout?

Could you clarify which fields the requirement actually refers to? You describe account linking as requiring "Manager Account Number" and "Account Number". The ClientLink reference documents three separate fields:

ClientEntityNumber - the client advertiser account's number

ManagingCustomerNumber - the managing customer's number

ClientEntityCustomerNumber - the number of the customer that OWNS the client account

We implemented ClientEntityCustomerNumber, because the Elements table states "Add: Required. This element is only applicable and required if Type isn't set or set to AccountLink." Your description sounds like ManagingCustomerNumber plus ClientEntityNumber instead. Which pair is correct for an account-level link?

Relatedly, the reference states that ManagingCustomerId and ManagingCustomerNumber are mutually exclusive ("specifying both will cause the operation to fail"), which appears to conflict with manager account linking requiring both.

Were you able to retrieve the errors behind the three TrackingIds? We do not have the fault Detail on our side, which is why we asked, those IDs are currently our only record of what the service returned. We are deploying improved logging to capture the fault Detail and the AddClientLinks OperationErrors/PartialErrors, and will share them as soon as we have a fresh occurrence.
Ashmit Mehta 5 Reputation points

2026-09-23T04:20:26.5866667+00:00

Hi Chris, just following up on this. Were you able to get any clarification from the Engineering team regarding this?

Also, please let us know if there’s any update on the Tracking IDs we shared. Thanks!
MS Advertising - Chris 0 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-23T13:15:09.84+00:00
Hello Ashmit Mehta,

Thank you for your detailed follow-up questions and for the additional context. I appreciate the clarifications you've provided. I also apologize for the delayed response, as I unfortunately missed your reply on the thread.

Regarding SearchClientLinks and ClientEntityCustomerNumber

Thank you for outlining your questions so clearly. I understand that you are seeking confirmation on:

Whether ClientEntityCustomerNumber obtained from a SearchClientLinks response is an intended and supported source for that value.

Whether ClientEntityCustomerNumber is expected to be populated for client links that were created prior to the rollout of the dual-ID requirements.

I would like to coordinate these questions with our Engineering Team for further clarification.

Regarding the dual-ID requirements and ClientLink fields

Thank you for highlighting the distinction between the following fields:

ClientEntityNumber

ManagingCustomerNumber

ClientEntityCustomerNumber

You are correct that the documentation references these as separate values, and I understand your concern regarding which specific fields are required for an account-level link.

At this time, the information provided to me by our backend team indicated the following requirements:

Manager Account Linking

Manager Account ID

Manager Account Number

Account Linking

Manager Account Number

Account Number

However, I do not currently have confirmation on how these requirements map to the individual ClientLink fields you referenced, nor can I confirm whether the required pair for an AccountLink operation should be:

ManagingCustomerNumber + ClientEntityNumber

or

ManagingCustomerNumber + ClientEntityCustomerNumber

Similarly, I understand your observation regarding the documentation stating that ManagingCustomerId and ManagingCustomerNumber are mutually exclusive, which appears inconsistent with the information I received regarding Manager Account Linking.

To avoid providing inaccurate guidance, I would like to include these points as part of the escalation so that we can obtain definitive clarification on the expected field mappings and requirements.

Regarding the Tracking IDs

At this time, I have not been able to retrieve the underlying fault details associated with the Tracking IDs that were previously provided. Thank you for explaining that the Tracking IDs are currently the only record available on your side.

It is helpful to know that you are implementing additional logging to capture the SOAP fault Detail as well as any AddClientLinks OperationErrors or PartialErrors. Should another occurrence take place, please share the fault details together with the Tracking ID, as this will significantly assist in determining whether the failure is related to the dual-ID validation, lookup behavior, or another service-side validation path.

I have included the following Tracking IDs as part of my notes for the investigation:

a16eb27b-568b-40ed-aee0-eacfdd427811

84b79756-98e2-4f5d-90c8-77827956bc0a

22dcb6e1-f337-4f68-bec3-43aeb2bed0a3

Additionally, could you kindly check your private messages? I sent you a message requesting some additional information needed for the escalation process. Once the requested details are provided, I will be able to proceed with coordinating this matter with our Engineering Team.

Thank you again for the detailed information and thoughtful questions. I look forward to your response and will work to move this investigation forward once the requested information is received.

Kind regards,
Chris | Microsoft Advertising Support Specialist | 1-800-518-5689