SQL create new unique random ID - sql-server

Question

I'm creating a Inventory application which uses an SQL database to keep track of products.
The ProductNumber is in the format yyyy-xxxx (i.e. 8024-1234), where the first 4 digits describe a category and the last 4 digits describe the an increasing integer, together creating the productnumber.
When creating a new product, the category should first be approved by an administrator, and therefor all new products will be added as 9999-xxxx. Then later, when the product is approved in the category, it's product number will change to the correct ProductNumber.
What I need for this is when creating a new product, to generate a random number for the last 4 digits, and then check if they don't exist already in the database (together with the first 4 digits). So, when creating a new product, some SQL query should create for example 9999-0123 and then double check if this one doesn't exist already.
How could one achieve this?
Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

you didn't precise the SGBD you are using, but here is a potential solution using Oracle PL/SQL:
declare
temp varchar2(10);
any_rows_found number;
row_exist boolean := true;
begin
WHILE row_exist = true
LOOP
temp := '9999-' || ceil(DBMS_RANDOM.value(low => 999, high => 9999));
select count(*) into any_rows_found from my_table where my_column = temp;
if any_rows_found = 1 then
else
row_exist := false;
insert into my_table values (..................., temp);
end if;
end loop;
end;
we use DBMS_RANDOM to generate the random value , concatenate it to 9999- and then check if it exists we loop to generate another value, if it doesn't exist we insert the value.
regards

Answer 2

You can generate your product number with a sequence, if you'd like an incremental number:
CREATE SEQUENCE product_number
START WITH 1000
INCREMENT BY 1
NOCACHE
NOCYCLE;
Whenever you insert or update a new product and need a valid number just call (sequence.nextVal). Then in your product table set (year, product_number) as a primary key (or the product number itself). If you can't set the primary key as said and want to check if the item already exist with the serial number you can generate the sequence number using:
SELECT sequence.nextVal FROM DUAL;
Then check if the product with the generated number exists.
Didn't know what dialect of SQL you are using, this is Oracle SQL but it can appliead in other dialects too.

Answer 3

Also not sure about the target DB - but worked it out for MS-SQL.
In the first step I would not reccommend the approach of generating a random number first and then check if this one exist and potentially doing this over and over again.
Instead you could go by and get the current max productnumber and work from there on. Even with a varchar you will retrieve the max int - since your syntax is always - (c = category / p = product). In addition to that you will get your desired value straight away since the target category is "9999".
You could work with something like this:
DECLARE #newID int;
-- REPLACE to remove the hyphen so we are facing an actual integer
-- Cast to be able to calculate with the value i.E. adding 1 on top of it
-- MAX for retrieving the max value
SELECT #newID = MAX(CAST(replace(ProductNumber,'-','') as int)) + 1 from Test
-- Set the ID by default to 99990000 in case there are no values with the 9999-prefix
IF #newID < 99990000
BEGIN
SET #newID = 99990000
END
-- Push back the hyphen into the new ID given you the final new productNumber
-- 5 is the starting index
-- 0 since no chars from the original ID shall be removed
Select STUFF(#newID, 5,0,'-')
So in case you currently have a product with 9999-1423 as your product with the highest number this would return "9999-1424".
If there are no products with the prefix of "9999" you would simply get "9999-0000".

Answer 4

The ProductNumber is in the format yyyy-xxxx (i.e. 8024-1234), where the first 4 digits describe a category and the last 4 digits describe the an increasing integer, together creating the productnumber.
We will implement this with a calculated column with puts together the category and the product number which will be in their own individual fields.
When creating a new product, the category should first be approved by an administrator, and therefor all new products will be added as 9999-xxxx. Then later, when the product is approved in the category, it's product number will change to the correct ProductNumber.
Put simply, by default every new product is automatically assigned product category 9999
What I need for this is when creating a new product, to generate a random number for the last 4 digits, and then check if they don't exist already in the database (together with the first 4 digits). So, when creating a new product, some SQL query should create for example 9999-0123 and then double check if this one doesn't exist already.
This can be implemented as an identity. This is not random, but I assume that is not really a requirement right?
Keep in mind there are many holes in these requirements.
If your product number changes from 9999-1234 to 8024-1234 but, has already appeared on reports / documents as 9999-1234, that's a problem
This format only supports at most 1,000 products. Then your system breaks
Again, does the number really need to be random?
I won't go into the actual mechanism for approval and assignment, you'll need to ask that in another question once this one is solved.
ProductNumber is in fact not a number, it's a code, so I don't agree with that column name
On to the code.
Create a table by running this:
CREATE TABLE dbo.Products
(
ProductID INT NOT NULL IDENTITY(1,1) PRIMARY KEY,
ProductName VARCHAR(100),
ProductCategoryID INT NOT NULL DEFAULT (9999),
ProductNumber AS (FORMAT(ProductCategoryID,'0000') + '-' + FORMAT(ProductID,'0000'))
)
Some explanation of the columns:
ProductID will autogenerate an incrementing number, starting at 1, incrementing by 1 each time. It's guaranteed to be unique. It's also defined as the primary key
ProductCategoryID will default to 9999 if you don't specify anything for it
ProductNumber is the special value you were after calculated from two individual columns
Now create a new product and see what happens
INSERT INTO dbo.Products(ProductName)
VALUES ('Brown Shoes')
SELECT * FROM dbo.Products
You can see Product Number 9999-0001
Add some more and note that the product code increments. It is not random. Carefully consider if you actually really need this to be random.
Now set the actual product category:
UPDATE dbo.Products
SET ProductCategoryID = 7 WHERE ProductID = 1
SELECT * FROM dbo.Products
and note that the product number updates.
Important to note that the real product id is actually just ProductID. The ProductCode column is just something to satisfy your requirements.