Auto-increment fields

auto increment fields auto increment fields automatically generate unique, sequential ids for jobs in your organization each time a new job is created or synced into primary, the system assigns the next available id you can pair auto incrementing numbers with a prefix based on a text field or group code to create structured identifiers like eng 0001 , mkt 0001 , and mkt 0002 info auto increment ids are only assigned to jobs in primary jobs in scenarios will not receive an auto increment id auto increment field properties when you create an auto increment field, you configure the following properties property description field label the name identifying the field in the app (e g , employee id) prefix source an optional text or group code field used to generate a prefix for each id when set, ids include the prefix value followed by the incrementing number (e g , eng 0001) number padding the minimum number of digits displayed shorter numbers are padded with leading zeros (e g , 0001 for 4 digit padding) separator the character between the prefix and the number (e g , a hyphen in eng 0001) create an auto increment field to create a new auto increment field from the left sidebar, select data model from the sub menu, select fields select create field enter a field label and optional description under data type , select auto increment (optional) select a prefix source field choose a text or group code field to generate prefixed ids (e g , selecting department produces ids like eng 0001) configure the number padding and separator as needed select save a confirmation modal appears to let you know the system will automatically populate ids for all existing jobs in primary select confirm to proceed note after saving, the system assigns an auto increment id to every existing job in primary this process runs in the background and may take a few moments depending on your organization’s size how auto increment ids work automatic assignment whenever a new job is created or synced into primary, the system automatically assigns the next available auto increment id no manual entry is required prefix behavior if you configure a prefix source, the id combines the value of that field with the incrementing number for example, if the prefix source is set to department and a job belongs to the engineering department, the generated id is eng 0001 each prefix maintains its own independent sequence eng 0001, eng 0002, eng 0003 (engineering) mkt 0001, mkt 0002 (marketing) fin 0001 (finance) manual editing you can manually edit an auto increment id directly in the data sheet this is useful if you need to correct or override a specific value warning the system validates that all auto increment ids are unique if you enter a value that already exists, the system rejects the change and prompts you to use a different value scenarios jobs in scenarios are not assigned auto increment ids ids are only generated when a job exists in or is synced into primary best practices choose a meaningful prefix source fields like department or location group code make ids immediately recognizable across the organization set sufficient number padding if you expect more than 999 jobs per prefix, use at least 4 digit padding to keep ids consistent in length avoid editing ids unless necessary the system manages uniqueness automatically manual changes increase the risk of conflicts plan your configuration before saving once the field is saved, existing jobs in primary are populated immediately frequently asked questions what happens if i delete an auto increment field? deleting the field removes all stored auto increment ids from your organization this action cannot be undone can i use the same auto increment field across multiple data models? auto increment fields apply to jobs they’re available wherever job data is displayed, including the data sheet and org chart what happens when a job is moved between departments? the existing auto increment id stays with the job it does not change when the prefix source value changes new ids reflect the current prefix at the time of assignment