In addition to their function as back-end identifiers, however, ID numbers have been used for authentication as a type of credential. The number-generating process ensures that no two people within the system share the same number andĪ deduplication process ensures that the same person does not have multiple identity records or numbers (i.e., that they are unique in the database). In the context of foundational systems, ID numbers are considered to be “unique” when:
They are issued automatically when a person enrolls, and their default function is to serve as a record locater or index within the system to facilitate back-end operations such as linking different tables within a database. In any ID system, identifying numbers-including unique ID numbers (UINs), also sometimes known as national ID numbers (NINs)-are the most basic type of identifier.
