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Autonumber prefix based on Choice column

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Posted on by krp28

Is there any way to determine the prefix in an Autonumber column based on the value in a second, choice column. I want to automatically assign sample reference codes, but distinguish between which of three groups generated the sample.

The group is selected in a choice column, and I would like a prefix to be set to the front of the autnumber field. For example, if the groups are A, B and C, the sample code should be something like "A-100", "A-101", "B-102" etc.

Ideally each would have their own sequence, but this is less important. I know I can organise this through a second calculated column, but wondered if there's a on-stop solution for it instead?

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Microsoft Dataverse with Power Apps

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Hamish Sheild 3,005 Most Valuable Professional on at

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Hi @krp28

I am pretty sure that there isn’t a way to solve this within a single field. I have done something similar before and I needed to use 3 fields to achieve this...

1. An auto number filed

2. The choice field which holds the prefix

3. A calculated field which combines 1 & 2

It’s not elegant but it works well

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Drew Poggemann 9,287 Most Valuable Professional on at

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Hi @krp28

@HSheild accomplished this the same way I did on a prior project. I actually set the Name field with a suffix of the auto-number and a prefix that was dependent on another field similar to your needs. It would be nice if the auto-number format options would allow this but they do not.

Thanks,
Drew

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ChrisPiasecki 6,422 Most Valuable Professional on at

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Hi @krp28,

As @HSheild mentions, this cannot be achieved using the AutoNumber field alone. The sequence is generated when the form opens if creating it interactively which is done for performance/scalability reasons.

A calculated field should work as suggested above.

If you need to set the name (primary field) of the record to the prefix + auto generated number, you can use a classic synchronous workflow or a Power Automate flow (asynchronous) that triggers on creation of the record or update when the prefix selection or AutoNumber value changes. This is a common pattern used for setting the name of the record automatically.

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