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appman

ID Creation

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I am a developer working on an import utility for TMG V7. I wish to obtain information on how the system creates ID numbers for people, citations, exhibits etc. Specifically, I'm wondering if there is a system table that tracks the latest ID #'s or whether I am freed to determine the next ID number by finding the highest current number used in the table.

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I am not aware of any documented rules for ID numbers in TMG databases. One place I have not looked is the GenBridge SDK, a software package Wholly Genes provides to developers for importing data into TMG. You may want to contact WG and get the SDK even if you don't plan to use it, especially if there is any documentation included with it.

 

From what I have observed, you can assign most ID numbers by choosing a value that is not in use. In earlier versions of the TMG database, some ID numbers used internally were the same as the physical record number, but I think that practice ended with TMG v4 or maybe earlier than that. In some cases, ID numbers will align with physical record numbers due to the sequence the data is imported, but that's coincidence.

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Thanks John, I very much appreciate your input. I'll give it a go and see what happens. I won't be able to test for some time yet but I'll update this post to let you know how I made out.

 

Cheers,

AppMan

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Basically, TMG keeps track of the last highest ID number used and assigns the next number as applicable. So if you have a 30 person data set, then ID# 31 would be the next used if normal progression was in effect. But if that 30 person data set resulted from a 630 person data set and you deleted 600 persons retaining the original ID numbers then the next normally assignable ID number would _possibly_ be 631. I say _possibly_ because TMG probably noted that persons above some number were deleted and now the highest ID# is less than 630. So if the now curent highest ID# were 601 then the next assignable ID# would be 602 - or - 31 if the 30 remaining persons were numbered 1 to 30.

 

The same applies to all other ID#s in TMG -- sources, citations, events, etc.

 

Hope this helps -

 

Lee

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