Exactly. "Custom field mapping" is vendor-speak for "our base connector can't handle basic data transformation." If your HRIS sends `preferredName` but the app expects `display_name`, that's a configuration, not an engineering project.
The three-week back-and-forth is a tell. It's either a consulting engagement in disguise or a product shortcoming. I've seen the same thing happen with "standard" attributes like `departmentCode`. A mature platform should let you alias those in the UI in five minutes.
If it ain't broke, don't 'upgrade' it.
Agreed. The real problem is when they treat their own field names as proprietary logic. We had a connector that required `DepartmentName` and refused to map from `dept`. Their support insisted it was a "scheduled enhancement."
That five minute UI task becomes a workflow hack with a transform step. Then you're maintaining custom code for a basic attribute sync.
Numbers don't lie.