Tips for Structuring ID Numbers

ID numbers are 12 characters of digits and/or letters used for sorting names in a useful manner. They can be formatted or structured however you want, and a little forethought on how you might like to use them can add great benefits later. Output dictates input. Think of what information you want to get out of Abacus, and this will lead to the best ways to input your data. The only requirement imposed on ID numbers is that they must be unique: Two records may not have the same ID. This ensures that, even if you have two "John Smith" names, the events, matters and documents can always be linked to the right one.

If you have no use for ID numbers and want to ignore them, you can simply add your first Name as ID number "1." Abacus will then increment the number for you as you add records, although you always have the option of changing the number Abacus offers. This method has several drawbacks, however. Since the ID is alphanumeric, a list will sort alphabetically, not numerically. "Alphabetic " sorts like this:

1

10

2

Not like this:

1

2

10

A better idea is to initialize the first record as "2015-10001" so records will sort age the way you would expect a numeric sort to work. The first three ID numbers would look like this:

2015-10001

2015-10002

2015-10003

At the start of year 2016 you would enter "2016-10001", etc.

But even this is a limited approach. If you forget the idea of incrementing numbers and think of what useful information you can put in this field, many opportunities arise. Here are some possibilities.

  • Use Social Security numbers for individuals.

  • If the name is a company, use the last name of the contact person plus part of the first name. You have 12 characters to work with.

  • Start each ID with a letter or two that indicates the name's class: C for client, E for expert, etc. Follow that with a hyphen and a sub-group of four or more letters of the last name, (plus part of the first name, zip code or phone number or whatever it takes to make it unique). Since you can sort the Names Browse by ID, you can instantly see ALL experts together as a group in alphabetical order, like,

    C-ZEPHERELLI

    E-NEURO-WILS

    E-ORTHO-BARN

    E-ORTHO-DAVI

  • Start the ID with the year the name started with you, plus last name.

  • Use a billing number from your accounting department.

  • Bigger firms like to use the primary attorney's initials plus last name, so a sorted list shows all of attorney AMS's clients together as a group.

Many more variations exist. Your firm may have an unusual bit of information that makes things work for you. Don't be afraid to use it! It is a good idea, however, to decide on how to structure your ID numbers before you enter any names. You should also document your procedure so new staff workers can get comfortable with it quickly.

Using Hyphens within ID Numbers

If you use a ID numbering scheme that includes a hyphen, Abacus will increment the number after the hyphen when you add a new name and put the prefix (the part before the hyphen) into the ID. For example, add a name with ID of C-1000.

Now add a new name and enter C- into the ID. Press Tab and the ID changes to C-1001.

For the incrementing to happen, the prefix must end with a hyphen (-), AND the prefix must already exist in the database followed by a number. Try using "C-" for clients, "A-" for attorneys, etc.

NOTE: This has no effect on how a new record is initialized before you edit it. The program will still look to the last record added to increment a proposed ID. Just overwrite this with one of your prefixes to get the desired result.

Changing ID Numbers

Since the name’s ID is the link to events, notes and matters, changing an ID causes Abacus to automatically update all of that name's events on your calendar to match the new number. Abacus also automatically alters the attachments to notes and matters, so that this name is still related to the appropriate matters.

WARNING: When you change a name's ID number, this change will also happen in Abacus Accounting Manager.

NETWORK NOTE: Changing ID numbers requires locking the events and cross-reference databases, so while you are doing this no one else can edit the calendar or attach names to matters. Try to decide how you want ID numbers formatted before you begin adding records to Abacus. If for some reason you need to change a lot of ID numbers, try to do it when no one else is using Abacus on the network.