Just before the weekend sees this tread sinking below the horizon ... a question if I may:-
What is the maximum length of a GMDN code? And is any special format employed?
I shall probably be doing a bit of work on a Hospital Equipping Project database over the coming few days and may need to consider adding a field to allow the user to link to GMDN codes if need be.
GMDN codes that I have seen have not appeared particularly elegant, but perhaps I was looking at obsolete stuff. Two formats seem to be possible:- AA9999 and just 9999.
On a "historical note" in the past I have linked to:-
1) ADB (Activity Data Base) : AAA999
2) CSI (can't remember - Chartered Surveyors Institute, perhaps?)
3) ECRI (ECRI) : 99-9999
4) JSN (Joint Services Number - USA) : A9999
5) MOH (Saudi MoH) : A999 - although other formats were also used
6) UMDNS (UMDNS - based on ECRI) : 9999
... to name but six (and I am aware of others as well, but thankfully never had to use them).
From my notes seven characters have always been enough. What I may do is just bung in a blank (free-form) field, ten characters wide, for users to er,
use as they see fit. After all, we never know what "new" codes will be introduced the week after next, do we?
