Is it theoretically possible to have a duplicate sys_id?

[Tepp]

Hi,

Is there any possibility that a newly created sys_id could accidentally overlap with a sys_id that exists in another instance?

We are concerned that if the same sys_id happens to exist in the development instance and the production instance, the existing data will be "updated" without being "inserted".

I know that the same sys_id will not be created within a single instance, but is there a mechanism to prevent the creation of duplicate sys_id even between multiple instances?
Or is it theoretically possible to have duplicate sys_id?

[Gunjan Kiratkar]

Hi @Tepp ,

When created within the application, sys_id values are unique. The Now Platform and database should manage all operations on sys_id values. The same sys_id value is never generated twice, which ensures that every record created in every table in every instance in the world has a unique identifier. If two records have the same sys_id value, it occurs as a result of the following situations:

• If a record with the sys_id was copied to the other at the database level outside of the Now Platform.

• If a record with the sys_id was copied using an Update Set or via XML, its sys_id is the same.

Even if you check Admin user sys_id from different PDI's then you will get it as "6816f79cc0a8016401c5a33be04be441" this sys_id.

The OOB scripts, modules,data etc have same sys_id between instances but the we can't have control over new data.

[James Fricker]

sa_pattern and sa_pattern_draft are 2 very separate tables but re-use the same sys_ids. So the draft record has the same sys_id as the published record, but are different records in different tables in the same instance.