Dear List, Thank you for the prompt responses...I read the MAN on OID and also on SERIAL...the benefit of using the MS-UUID is that the identifier created is guarenteed to be unique in spacetime. OID and SERIAL are not...they are only guarenteed to be unique in a database. Perhaps I should have mentioned that I'm building a multi-database solution (20+ databases) in which all 20+ DBs must use the same identifier across databases for some objects (ex: Automobile Brands) but their own identifier for their own data (ex: Accouts/Clients) this way when the child database publish to the master there is no possiblity of some object having the same identifer as another...and the object identifier can stay the same across all 20+ DBs. The GUID from Micro$oft is formatted like {01234567-89AB-CDEF-0123-456789ABCDEF} it represents a 16 byte number that is again unique in spacetime. Is there PostgreSQL solution for something like that or will I have to come up with my own. /B -----Original Message----- From: Keary Suska [mailto:hierophant@xxxxxxxxxx] Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2002 11:32 To: Postgres-PHP Subject: Re: [PHP] UUID/GUID information on 5/30/02 12:05 PM, Busby@xxxxxxxx purportedly said: > Dear List, > I'm trying to migrate my MS-SQL(shit) to Postgre. My database depends > on having a uniqueidentifier for all objects stored. (20 or so tables > of these unique objects). In MS-SQL I can use this datatype called > "uniqueidentifier" to accomplish this. What would be a similar > solution in Postgre? I've looked on through the MAN pages and also > scoured the net for this info...I don't necessarly need a UUID like > the MS one but some unique way to identifiy each object. > > Thanks in advance for help Postgres has what it calls an "OID". This is a unique identifier for every object. If you choose to use this, be sure to read all the caveats relating to external use of OIDs. For instance, if you re-create the database (say from a backup or dump), the IODs will change. IIRC, you can control this by dumping/restoring OIDs in the executables. Keary Suska Esoteritech, Inc. "Leveraging Open Source for a better Internet" ---------------------------(end of broadcast)--------------------------- TIP 3: if posting/reading through Usenet, please send an appropriate subscribe-nomail command to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx so that your message can get through to the mailing list cleanly