Each record in the instance is identified with a unique 18-character ID called a sys_id. The same ID cannot be generated twice; this ensures that every record in every table has a unique identifier. The only way when two records can have the same sys_id value is the instance cloning; when created within the application or the instance, the sys_id's cannot overlap.
How to get a record ID
The record ID can be obtained in several ways, manually and automatically (via API).
Getting the sys_id from the record URL
The record sys_id is always a part of the URL that leads to this record; so you can retrieve the sys_id from the URL.
For example, a Change Request with the following URL:
https://<instance_url>/record/change_request/158157795510045066
Has a sys_id equal to '158157795510045066'. It can be obtained either from a browser address bar or by copying the URL of the item at the navigation panel or on the list view.
Getting the sys_id from the script
The sys_id can be retrieved not only manually, but using scripting, too.
- The sys_id of the record can be found by a server-side JavaScript scenario (like business rule) from the SimpleRecord:
var id = current.sys_id;
- The sys_id of a record can be found in client-side JavaScript using SimpleForm#s_form.getUniqueValue() method.
