On 2020-03-21 12:55:33 -0600, Rob Sargent wrote:
> To me the description of the ID smacks of database-in-the-name folly. I
> recognize that OP is likely unable to take another path. I’ll not push this any
> further.
Identifiers often have internal structure. In Austria for example, the
social security number contains the birth date. Invoice numbers, project
numbers or court case numbers often contain the year.
That's because they are used by *people*, and people like their
identifiers to make some kind of sense. The computer doesn't care.
hp
--
_ | Peter J. Holzer | Story must make more sense than reality.
|_|_) | |
| | | hjp@hjp.at | -- Charles Stross, "Creative writing
__/ | http://www.hjp.at/ | challenge!"