OriginsNext uses one consistent identifier format everywhere: [source].[id]. The source is the identifier scheme (a recognised standard, such as a GLN or GTIN), and the id is the value itself. The two are joined by a dot. For example, GLN.WAREHOUSE-A is a location identified by the Global Location Number scheme with the value WAREHOUSE-A.
The [source].[id] format
The source prefix tells OriginsNext (and your trading partners) which identifier scheme the value belongs to, so the same thing can be recognised consistently across organisations and systems. You will use this format wherever you reference an entity: in the registries, in CSV uploads, and through the API.
Source: the scheme, for example GLN (Global Location Number), GTIN (Global Trade Item Number), SGTIN (Serialised Global Trade Item Number), SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code), ABN (Australian Business Number) or CNPJ (a Brazilian company registration number).
Id: the value of the identifier under that scheme.
In a CSV upload, if you need more than one identifier in a single cell, separate them with a pipe character ( | ).
IDs for the key entities
The same format applies to every entity. Typical schemes and examples are:
Entity | Typical ID scheme | Example |
Participant (Organisation) | A business identifier, such as GLN, ABN or CNPJ. | GLN.PRODUCER-1 |
Location | GLN (Global Location Number). | GLN.WAREHOUSE-A |
Product | SGTIN (Serialised Global Trade Item Number). | SGTIN.PROD-001 |
Product Template (SKU) | GTIN, SKU or UPC. | GTIN.BANANA-CLASS-A |
Logistic unit (pallet or container) | SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code). | SSCC.PALLET-001 |
Note: The same Organisation may be identified by different schemes in different contexts (for example a GLN in one country and an ABN or CNPJ in another). Use the scheme that matches the identifier you hold.
IDs with special characters
Some identifiers are normally written with punctuation. For example, a Brazilian CNPJ is usually shown as 12.345.678/0001-95. Before you use any identifier in OriginsNext, strip out all special characters (dots, slashes, hyphens and spaces) so that only letters and numbers remain, then add the scheme prefix. So 12.345.678/0001-95 becomes CNPJ.12345678000195.
Important: Always remove punctuation and spaces from an identifier, keeping only alphanumeric characters, and use that same clean value everywhere. Consistent, punctuation-free IDs are what let OriginsNext match the same Participant, Location or Product across uploads, integrations and other participants' data, and they prevent duplicates.