How can you generate a sysid with PHP?

[sen5241b]

I worked with ServiceNow for many years. They have a very interesting database. 
Every record in the entire data base has a field called the sysid. This number combined with a table name  makes that record unique amongst all the ServiceNow  databases in the entire world.

if you transfer a data record from your ServiceNow database into any other ServiceNow database in the world that sysid will remain the same.

i’m trying to create a function to do this with PHP. how would you even do that?

[requinix]

I know an application with lots of database tables. Each record has a blargh identifier that is unique across all blarghs in the world. Do you think they're the same as sysids?

I can't tell you how to create a "sysid". I can tell you about things like UUIDs.

[ginerjm]

I would think that if this value is promised to be unique all over the world that the company using and relying on them would be the ONLY place that one that fits could be created.  Not you.

[sen5241b]

Did a little research.

A ServiceNow sys_id is a 32 character  universally  unique ID (UUID). The Servicenow sys_id Is however  a little bit different than a typical UUID. The sys_id must be combined with the table name to uniquely identify a specific record in any Servicenow database anywhere in the world.
i’ve never written a UUID generator but I can tell you that none of them are perfect.

GUID and UUID are the same thing. 

They’re  are plenty of PHP algorithms to generate UUIDs out there. 

 

 

 

[requinix]

If UUIDs aren't unique enough, then what's so special about the table name to make it so?

[NotionCommotion]

I am pretty sure I can guess your table names before I can guess your UUIDs.  ULIDs are another option, and while I think they might be less likely to have conflicts than UUIDs (UUIDs have 1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 odds of a duplicate), they provide other benefits.