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Administrator Guide
Last Updated: 2026-05-29
Create ID Definitions and Sequence Generators

Create ID Definitions and Sequence Generators

Security:
  • Set Up: Company General
     domain in the Common Financial Management functional area.
  • Set Up: Contact Info, IDs, and Personal Data
     domain in the Contact Information functional area.
  • Set Up: System
     domain in the System functional area.
ID definitions specify the format of identifiers (IDs) that Workday generates for business objects and fields. When you include the [seq], [Seq], or [SEQ] sequence variable, the ID definition becomes a sequence generator. A sequence generator identifies people, positions, incidents, or fields with a number that's unique within a specified time period.
Workday provides these types of sequence generators:
  • Sequence generators that generate sequences that are unique, but might have numbering gaps. These sequence generators enable you to specify overflow behavior and configure regular sequence restarts.
  • Sequence generators that generate sequences that never have gaps. You can't select a restart period or overflow behavior for these generators. You can use this type of sequence generator when it's important to maintain the sequence, such as when your auditors require it.
You can create as many ID definitions and sequence generators as you need. Access the
Edit Tenant Setup
 tasks to select which ones to use for business objects, such as invoices, orders, receipts, employees, and beneficiaries.
You can create both sequence generator types, but Workday determines which types you can specify on an
Edit Tenant Setup
 task for a given situation. Example: You can't use gapless sequence generators for spend authorizations, but can use them for miscellaneous payment requests on the
Edit Tenant Setup - Financials
 task.
You can override some selections for a specific company by accessing the
Edit Company ID Definitions
 task. If you don't specify an ID definition, Workday generates its own internal ID codes.
Sequence Generator IDs assign names to sequences used in Workday applications. You can view a specific ID definition in the
View ID Definition / Sequence Generator
 and
View ID Definition / Gapless Sequence Generator
 reports.
  1. Access 1 of these tasks:
    • Create ID Definition / Gapless Sequence Generator
    • Create ID Definition / Sequence Generator
    You can also select the sequence generator creation task directly from the prompt fields on the
    Edit Tenant Setup
     tasks where these generators are used. Only the types of sequence generator creation tasks that are relevant to the specific context display in the prompt fields.
  2. In the
    Increment Sequence ID By
     field, enter a nonzero value by which the sequence number increases each time Workday generates a new ID.
  3. Complete the
    Sequence Format
     section:
    Option Description
    Padding
    (Optional) Enter the number of digits in the sequence. To avoid an overflow condition, Workday recommends a padding value of at least 6.
    If the sequence exceeds the number of digits you enter, Workday uses the
    Sequence ID Overflow Behavior
     selection in the
    Sequence Generator Maintenance
     section to determine the next number in the sequence.
    When you enter zero or don’t enter a value, Workday:
    • Increases the sequence number indefinitely.
    • Automatically populates
      Automatically Ignore Padding
       on the
      Sequence ID Overflow Behavior
       prompt.
    Sequence ID Format
    Enter a format for the text string to create a unique identifier. You can combine constants, Workday-delivered variables, and custom locale-dependent variables in the text string.
    When you use custom locale-dependent variables, and don’t select a locale from the
    Sequence Generator Locale
     prompt, Workday evaluates any custom locale-dependent variables using the location or language preferences of the user who initiates the task that generates the sequence number.
    Include the [seq], [Seq], or [SEQ] sequence variable for Workday to automatically generate the next unique number. For a list of available variables, see Reference: Sequence Generator Variables.
    Date-related variables represent the date when the task generates the sequence number.
    Sequence Generator Locale
    Displays when you enter 1 or more custom locale-dependent variables in the
    Sequence ID Format
     field.
    Select a locale for Workday to use when evaluating any locale-dependent variables in the
    Sequence ID Format
     field.
  4. (Optional) To reset the value of the [seq], [Seq], or [SEQ] sequence variable at regular time intervals, complete the
    Time-Based Reset Settings
     section.
    This section isn’t available for gapless sequence generators.
    Option Description
    Restart Frequency
    Select the time interval when the sequence variable resets to the value you enter in the
    Restart Number
     field.
    Leave this prompt blank to keep the value of the sequence variable unique within this ID definition.
    Days start at 12:01 AM. Months start at 12:01 AM on the first of that month. Years start at 12:01 AM on the first of January.
    When you set a restart frequency:
    • Ensure the generated sequence number is unique by including the specific time period in the
      Sequence ID Format
       field. Example: If the
      Restart Frequency
       is
      Month
      , include
      [month]
       and
      [year]
       in the text string of the
      Sequence ID Format
       field. Also ensure that the padding value is large enough that the sequence generator doesn't encounter an overflow condition during the time period.
    • And set up Workday to continue a sequence from a different ID generation system, you must complete the
      Last Sequence ID
       section:
      • A valid
        Last Date Used
        .
      • A nonzero
        Last Sequence Used
        .
    Restart Number
    Enter the value of the sequence variable that you want to start at when you first use the ID definition, and every time the sequence restarts.
    Time Zone Usage
    Select an alternate time zone on which to base the interval specified in the
    Restart Frequency
     field.
    This value doesn’t indicate when the ID generation actually occurs. Workday uses this value only to localize the date to the specified time zone. If you don’t specify a time zone, Workday uses Pacific Standard Time (PST) or Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).
  5. (Optional) Complete the
    Sequence Generator Maintenance
     section:
    Option Description
    Sequence ID Overflow Behavior
    When you select:
    • Allow Overflow with Truncated Sequences
      , Workday truncates the most significant digit of the sequence number when an overflow condition occurs. Example: When you enter
      3
       in the
      Padding
       field, the next sequence number after 999 is 1000, but Workday truncates the 1 and displays the next value as 000.
    • Automatically Ignore Padding
      , Workday ignores the padding value when an overflow condition occurs. Example: When you enter
      3
       in the
      Padding
       field, the next sequence number after 999 is 1000. Workday automatically selects this option when you enter zero in the
      Padding
       field.
    We recommend selecting
    Automatically Ignore Padding
     to prevent Workday from producing duplicate numbers that can impact downstream systems.
    Override Tenant Setup Overflow Notification Group
    Select security groups for this sequence generator that will override the default overflow notification security groups. Workday automatically sends:
    • A notification to the overflow notification security groups when the sequence reaches 80% of the limit imposed by the padding value.
    • Additional notifications when the sequence reached additional 5% increments afterward.
    If you don't select security groups in this field, Workday sends these overflow notifications to:
    • The security groups that you select in the
      Default Sequence Generator Notification Group
       field on the
      Edit Tenant Setup - System
       task.
    • The default security groups that Workday specifies in the
      Default Tenant Setup Overflow Notification Group
       field if you don't select default overflow notification security groups on the
      Edit Tenant Setup - System
       task.
  6. (Optional) If you previously used a different ID generation system and you want Workday to continue that sequence, complete the
    Last Sequence ID
     section:
    Option Description
    Last Sequence Used
    Enter the last sequence number used in your previous ID generation system.
    Last Date Used
    Enter the date on which your previous ID generation system generated the last sequence number.
    Workday no longer uses these fields when it starts using the new sequence generator. When you specify a last date used and a restart frequency interval, Workday compares the current date and restart frequency and sets the sequence number accordingly. Example: If you enter:
    • 45
       on the
      Last Sequence Used
       field.
    • 2026-05-15
       on the
      Last Date Used
       field.
    • Month
       on the
      Restart Frequency
       field.
    • 5
       on
      Increment Sequence ID By
       field.
    • 1
       on the
      Restart Number
       field.
    The initial sequence number for the sequence generator will be:
    • 50 if the current date is in May.
    • 1 if the current date is in June.
  7. (Optional) To ensure that sequences generated by the sequence generator don't have gaps, select the
    Low Volume
     check box in the
    Advanced Settings
     section.
    Select the check box when you experience both of these situations:
    • The sequence that Workday generates isn't used in high volume transactions. Example: Integration Sequencing.
    • You experience unwanted gaps in the generated sequence.
    If you'll use the sequence generator in a scramble method to scramble tenant data, don't select the
    Low Volume
     check box.
  8. (Optional) In the
    Web Service
     section, enter a name in the
    Reference ID
     field.
    You can use this ID to identify specific sequences across Workday applications, such as Workday Financial Management, Payroll, and HCM.
You can run the
Sequence Generator Padding Report
 to monitor sequence generators for potential overflow issues. For each sequence generator, the report displays:
  • A percent usage metric that indicates how close the current sequence number is to the maximum sequence number allotted.
  • The overflow behavior and notification groups for each sequence generator.