How do i assign a unique key in a database?

[Ian Turner]

Hi,

I've been trialling the new database feature in confluence and I'm wondering how to automatically generate an ID for the entries that I make.  I'm using it initially to track a list of issues/risks.  Ideally these would get a reference number of the format I-nnn and R-nnn respectively, failing that just an incrementing number would do.  But I can't find any options for setting values as unique or to autogenerate fields.

Is there any way of doing this?

thanks

Ian

[marc -Collabello--Phase Locked-]

Hi @Ian Turner ,

Unfortunately Confluence Databases do not have this feature.

[Ian Turner]

@marc -Collabello--Phase Locked- is there an existing feature request, if not how do i create one.  Seems a fairly significant gap, a database without a unique key.

[marc -Collabello--Phase Locked-]

If I understand it correctly, Confluence databases are not a SQL like db, more of a type of data collection in a spreadsheet.

[Ian Turner]

That doesn't quite compute for me. 

If I have a list of things in a word table, spreadsheet or written on a piece of paper I'd number them. Confluence tables allow me to have an auto generated number column, admittedly they adjust if you add new rows but the principle is there.

In the confluence database there is no integer, closest I think I can get is a number format 1000.12.  Plus confluence databases can reference each other - so foreign keys are effectively supported.  But no primary key or reference value.  Seems odd to me.

How am I supposed to uniquely identify the records in my database?

[marc -Collabello--Phase Locked-]

If you want to have more insight into the internals of databases, I'd recommend to contact Atlassian support directly.

[Ian Turner]

I won't be able to do that, from my quick look today at the suggestions option I'm not able to create new ones myself, only search, vote and comment.

We have an IT function somewhere that provides support so I guess I can contact them if i can work out who/where they are.

The only option appears to be to create feedback from within the product.

[Peter Jessup]

I agree, ability to have a unique constraint is fundamental and the reason I stopped considering the feature for my particular use case. It would make databases much more useful. There's an open ticket on this feature here:

https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/CONFCLOUD-79004

It needs some more votes I think to get it on the backlog.