Any problems with non-alphanumeric Characters

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Is there any issues/problems using non-alphanumeric characters in item number or user category fields or anywhere for that matter? Are there any characters that will cause problems? [.!@#$%^&*(){]/}. Specifically a slash or backslash or period? Say I want to create a half inch pipe item, would 1/2COPPER or .5COPPER cause issues anywhere down the line? Thanks.

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Mahmoud Saadi 32,738 on at

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Technically speaking, you will be able to enter such characters in Dynamics GP window with no constraint. On the other hand, that is no recommended at all.

Let's take a look at it from the database level, such characters might be already predefined in TSQL to provide specific functionality, for instance;

% used with Like expression in the database

"[" "]" square brackets to list sets of characters

^ to match only the character no specified within the brackets

Most importantly, the single quotation could be much more risky that you might imagine, since it is used to specify the value in TSQL. Suppose you include a single quotation in your item number, customer number ...etc (Lets say Item Number = Phone ' SX3 )

Now on SQL Management Studio, when you write down as simple as select statement including this item, errors occurs as shown below

To enlarge the picture, imagine how difficult things will get when you are considering such characters as primary keys (Item Number, Customer Number ..etc) in you Dynamics GP.

Based on that, I won't recommend that at all regardless of that fact that there is no technical limitation. Meanwhile, I can't think of any business logic that might require using such characters.

Hope this helps.

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Ian Richardson 4,150 on at

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I will echo Mahmoud's comments and add to even consider the use of the simple comma.

So often you will find comma's in address records, and inventory item names.

As we know any GP report can be exported as a text file. One of the file characteristic options being a csv file, or comma separated file.

The comma use in that address or inventory record messes up that export file.

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