Sequential Unique identifier for two types of records in a sheet

Hello Smartsheet community. I am in need of a solution that allows me to leverage an intake form to track Objectives and Key Results.

I need to be able to sequentially generate unique ID's for each Objective and for each KR and I need this to not break with sorting. The reason is, I need to do lookups on the Unique identifier field to pull in KR progress (I'd like to tag projects with the unique KR identifier so I can automate status reporting from the projects' progress aligned).

Initially I wanted to leverage a solution similar to this: https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/16336/auto-number-columns-based-on-other-column-input but as @Craig Williams appropriately calls out, this will break if rows are sorted.

I'm wondering if something like this: https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/6757/formula-to-determine-row-number can be leveraged to provide the solution I'm looking for.

Below is a simplified example of the sheet i'm trying to go for and the desired result. Appreciate in advance any and all suggestions.

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Paul Newcome

You could have the unique ID generated on the sheet then have the row copied to another sheet. This would effectively lock in that unique ID as text instead of a formula on this new sheet which will hold up to sorting and filtering.

bburrets

I'd prefer to have a solution contained within a singular sheet if at all possible. Any suggestions or recommendations beyond two separate sheets?

Paul Newcome

Manual entry would be the only other thing I can think of.

Andrée Starå

Hi,

@bburrets

The third-party service, Zapier, could maybe be an excellent option for this scenario. Is that an option for you?

I hope that helps!

Be safe and have a fantastic weekend!

Best,

Andrée Starå

Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

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