It depends on what the requirements of your application are; auto number columns work best when used to signal entry order, such as checking account. The only way for the auto number to have vacancies is if a record is deleted; this is true for any numbering scheme unless you have sliding (dynamic) numbering scheme that moves the numbers up when one is deleted. You can avoid this by making the record "VOID" such as you would do with a checking account. Many numbering schemes that I have used in the past used increments larger than 1, so in the future you could add a record in between 2 existing records. I have a street inventory in which street segment have a unique sequential ID based on the street name and relative order, sometimes, a segment is subdivided into 2 or more segments and in order to maintain the "chain" we rename the new segments with smaller increments. For example Main St. can have segments Main05, Main10, Main15, etc., going from west to east, at some future time segment Main10 can be divided in 2 smaller segments Main08 and Main12. This scheme indicates the physical location on the field and allows printing the records in order, but not the sequence in which the information was entered. For this type of numbering, I do not use an auto number column. I use auto number columns for information that is sequentially entered such as Work Order Numbers, Complaints, Checks, etc.
Javier Valencia, PE President Valencia Technology Group, L.L.C. 14315 S. Twilight Ln., Suite #14 Olathe, KS 66062-4571 (913)829-0888 (913)649-2904 FAX -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of MikeB Sent: Thursday, July 11, 2002 9:55 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Edited autonumber SEQUENTIAL is the reason it should not be used to have real world meaning. The type of number you describe can easily be accommodate independent of the autonumber generator. Because of the way autonumber is generated, it is likely to have vacancies in the sequence. That is the reason you should develop your own number generation when the numbers must have an unending sequence. With your own system, you can accommodate vacancies and fill them up or decrement a number when it fails. Autonumber is best used as an 'under the covers' linking column. Vacancies are not very well received as a check number, invoice number, work order number, etc. So if a vacancy exists or you have to decrement because of an incomplete transaction that forces you to fiddle with your autonumber, you would have better safeguards in place if you code your own from the start. My experience dictates I follow this rule. Your preferences and experience may guide you differently. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Javier Valencia" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2002 9:51 PM Subject: RE: Edited autonumber > This is not necessarily true. The auto number column can generate numbers > that have a user-defined format. I have an application in which the computer > generates sequential numbers that are assigned to work order numbers with > format 02-00001 and so on, where the first 2 numbers represent the last 2 > digit of the year and the last numbers are sequential (and unique) number > assigned by the system. I have housekeeping software that allows the user to > go back and forth between years by changing the format of the first 2 digits > of the auto number. This is particularly handy at the beginning of a new > year when users sometimes have to enter old work orders that have the > previous year prefix, the system determines what the next sequential number > should be and assigns it to the new record and then goes back to the next > sequential number for the current year. This is an ideal application of the > auto number feature. > > Javier Valencia, PE > President > Valencia Technology Group, L.L.C. > 14315 S. Twilight Ln., Suite #14 > Olathe, KS 66062-4571 > (913)829-0888 > (913)649-2904 FAX > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On > Behalf Of MikeB > Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2002 7:15 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: Edited autonumber > > Autonumbering should never be used in the context to have any real world > meaning to the user. > If you need a number that is to hold a meaning, you should develop your own > numbering scheme. > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Nicky Avery" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2002 5:12 PM > Subject: Re: Edited autonumber > > > > David Ebert wrote: > > > > >What is the effect on autonumbered columns if a value is manually edited? > > > > > > > > > > > David, > > > > The autonumbering depends on its own housekeeping to know the value of > > the last number it assigned. If you allow renumbering to a lower number, > > you may end up with gaps in the run (not necessarily an issue) and, if > > someone renumbers the records incorrectly, mismatches. If the numbers > > are higher, you can end up with a mess since the autonumbering will not > > know a number is already used and will plough on regardless so you then > > have plenty of opportunites for mismatches. If the numbers are higher > > and you define the autonum column as unique, you will likely break your > > app when the attempt to reissue the number is rejected. > > > > Nicky > > > > > > ================================================ > > TO SEE MESSAGE POSTING GUIDELINES: > > Send a plain text email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > In the message body, put just two words: INTRO rbase-l > > ================================================ > > TO UNSUBSCRIBE: send a plain text email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > In the message body, put just two words: UNSUBSCRIBE rbase-l > > ================================================ > > TO SEARCH ARCHIVES: > > http://www.mail-archive.com/rbase-l%40sonetmail.com/ > > > > ================================================ > TO SEE MESSAGE POSTING GUIDELINES: > Send a plain text email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > In the message body, put just two words: INTRO rbase-l > ================================================ > TO UNSUBSCRIBE: send a plain text email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > In the message body, put just two words: UNSUBSCRIBE rbase-l > ================================================ > TO SEARCH ARCHIVES: > http://www.mail-archive.com/rbase-l%40sonetmail.com/ > > ================================================ > TO SEE MESSAGE POSTING GUIDELINES: > Send a plain text email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > In the message body, put just two words: INTRO rbase-l > ================================================ > TO UNSUBSCRIBE: send a plain text email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > In the message body, put just two words: UNSUBSCRIBE rbase-l > ================================================ > TO SEARCH ARCHIVES: > http://www.mail-archive.com/rbase-l%40sonetmail.com/ > ================================================ TO SEE MESSAGE POSTING GUIDELINES: Send a plain text email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the message body, put just two words: INTRO rbase-l ================================================ TO UNSUBSCRIBE: send a plain text email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the message body, put just two words: UNSUBSCRIBE rbase-l ================================================ TO SEARCH ARCHIVES: http://www.mail-archive.com/rbase-l%40sonetmail.com/ ================================================ TO SEE MESSAGE POSTING GUIDELINES: Send a plain text email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the message body, put just two words: INTRO rbase-l ================================================ TO UNSUBSCRIBE: send a plain text email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the message body, put just two words: UNSUBSCRIBE rbase-l ================================================ TO SEARCH ARCHIVES: http://www.mail-archive.com/rbase-l%40sonetmail.com/
