Master record IDs and names

Dynamics GP has an ID and a name for each master record. Both are strings and all IDs within the same type of record must be unique, while names can be duplicated. IDs in Dynamics GP will always be in capitals. Special characters (anything other than letters or numbers) are allowed in IDs and while spaces or dashes are fine to use, other special characters should be discouraged. There is a much higher potential for application errors if special characters have not been properly excluded or coded around. It is also sometimes difficult to differentiate between some special characters when looking at an ID on the screen.

Some companies prefer to have IDs that are numeric only and use the next number available for any new record. Others decide to use IDs that are more descriptive and use mostly alpha characters. Both of these approaches are fine, however it is recommended that the numbering scheme for each type of record is consistent for all records created. The following are two important points to keep in mind when deciding on numbering schemes: