Auto-generating reference numbers

Auto-generating reference numbers ensures that every form submission or record created through a Power Pages portal has a unique identifier. This can be used for tracking, user communication, or internal referencing.

Common Use Cases

Support ticketing systems
Case management
Order processing
Registration systems
Application tracking

Method 1: Using Power Automate

Step 1: User Submits Form

A form on Power Pages submits data to a Dataverse table.

Step 2: Trigger a Power Automate Flow

Trigger: “When a row is added” (Dataverse)
The flow will:
- Get the record’s GUID or a timestamp.
- Optionally fetch the latest record number to increment.
- Concatenate values to create a unique reference number.

Step 3: Update the Record

Action: “Update a row” in Dataverse
Set a field like Reference Number to a value like:
"TKT-" + formatDateTime(utcNow(),'yyyyMMdd') + "-" + substring(guid(),0,6)

Method 2: Using Plugin (for Advanced Control)

Create a Dataverse Plugin on the Create event of the entity.
Inside the plugin:
- Generate a custom string using GUID, prefix, or other logic.
- Assign it to the Reference Number field before the record is committed.

This is best used for high-performance systems where consistency and order are critical.

Method 3: Using Business Rules and JavaScript (Client-Side)

Less secure since logic runs in the browser.
Can pre-fill a field with part of a reference number (e.g., date prefix).
Final number still best handled server-side to avoid duplicates.

Best Practices

Make the field Read-Only in the form to avoid user editing.
Ensure uniqueness using Dataverse constraints or plugins.
Use prefixes to distinguish types (e.g., TKT-, REG-, ORD-).
Store creation timestamp for traceability.

Example Output Formats

TKT-20250423-0012
REG-APR-2025-001
CASE-IRF-0000193
ORD-240423-XYZ123