diff --git a/heat/engine/resources/openstack/heat/software_deployment.py b/heat/engine/resources/openstack/heat/software_deployment.py
index 66fc4c374f..1875aaab84 100644
--- a/heat/engine/resources/openstack/heat/software_deployment.py
+++ b/heat/engine/resources/openstack/heat/software_deployment.py
@@ -545,12 +545,13 @@ class SoftwareDeployment(signal_responder.SignalResponder):
 
     def get_attribute(self, key, *path):
         """Resource attributes map to deployment outputs values."""
-        sd = self.rpc_client().show_software_deployment(
-            self.context, self.resource_id)
-        ov = sd[rpc_api.SOFTWARE_DEPLOYMENT_OUTPUT_VALUES] or {}
-        if key in ov:
-            attribute = ov.get(key)
-            return attributes.select_from_attribute(attribute, path)
+        if self.resource_id is not None:
+            sd = self.rpc_client().show_software_deployment(
+                self.context, self.resource_id)
+            ov = sd[rpc_api.SOFTWARE_DEPLOYMENT_OUTPUT_VALUES] or {}
+            if key in ov:
+                attribute = ov.get(key)
+                return attributes.select_from_attribute(attribute, path)
 
         # Since there is no value for this key yet, check the output schemas
         # to find out if the key is valid
diff --git a/heat/tests/openstack/heat/test_software_deployment.py b/heat/tests/openstack/heat/test_software_deployment.py
index 1ee154994d..9850308133 100644
--- a/heat/tests/openstack/heat/test_software_deployment.py
+++ b/heat/tests/openstack/heat/test_software_deployment.py
@@ -201,7 +201,6 @@ class SoftwareDeploymentTest(common.HeatTestCase):
         get_ec2_signed_url.return_value = 'http://192.0.2.2/signed_url'
 
         self.deployment = self.stack['deployment_mysql']
-
         self.rpc_client = mock.MagicMock()
         self.deployment._rpc_client = self.rpc_client
 
@@ -1097,6 +1096,7 @@ class SoftwareDeploymentTest(common.HeatTestCase):
 
     def test_fn_get_att(self):
         self._create_stack(self.template)
+        self.deployment.resource_id = 'c8a19429-7fde-47ea-a42f-40045488226c'
         mock_sd = {
             'outputs': [
                 {'name': 'failed', 'error_output': True},
@@ -1132,6 +1132,7 @@ class SoftwareDeploymentTest(common.HeatTestCase):
 
     def test_fn_get_att_error(self):
         self._create_stack(self.template)
+        self.deployment.resource_id = 'c8a19429-7fde-47ea-a42f-40045488226c'
 
         mock_sd = {
             'outputs': [],