What It Does
MintID provides a governed identifier system for every product. Each product has an immutable system ID and supports multiple mutable identifiers (SKU, GTIN, EAN, UPC) with full change history.Who It’s For
Brand administrators managing product catalogues, supply chain teams scanning barcodes, and API integrators resolving product identifiers.How It Works
Immutable Product ID
Every product receives a system-assigned UUID (MintID Product ID) at creation. This ID never changes and serves as the permanent system-of-record identifier. All other identifiers are mutable aliases that point to this UUID.
Identifier Types
| Type | Cached on Product | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SKU | Yes | Case-insensitive uniqueness per brand |
| GTIN | Yes | Digits-only normalisation (8/12/13/14 digits) |
| EAN | No (alias only) | Digits-only normalisation |
| UPC | No (alias only) | Digits-only normalisation |
Active vs Retired
At any time, a product can have one active identifier per type. When an identifier is changed:- The previous value is retired (marked inactive) with a timestamp.
- The new value becomes active.
- No data is ever deleted — the full history is preserved.
Where to Edit
Identifiers are edited exclusively in Product Detail (Core Fields section). They cannot be changed via bulk edit, by design, because every change creates an auditable history entry.Identifier History
Product Detail displays a full history of all identifier changes, partitioned into:- SKU History — every SKU value the product has used, with status and timestamps.
- Barcode History — every GTIN, EAN, and UPC value, with type, status, and timestamps.
Constraints
- One active per type per product — only one SKU, one GTIN, one EAN, and one UPC can be active at a time.
- No concurrent reuse — an active identifier value cannot be shared across products within the same brand and type.
- Digits-only — GTIN, EAN, and UPC values are normalised to digits only on all write paths.
- Immutable type — an identifier’s type cannot change after creation.
Limits & Notes
- Identifier edits are not available in bulk workflows; use Product Detail.
- Locked fields can protect identifiers from being overwritten during CSV imports.
- The identifier audit trail records who made each change and when.
FAQ
What happens if I change a SKU or GTIN?
What happens if I change a SKU or GTIN?
The old value is retired and the new value becomes active. Both are preserved in the identifier history. Previously printed codes using the old value will still resolve via the public resolver.
Can two products share the same GTIN?
Can two products share the same GTIN?
Are EAN and UPC stored differently to GTIN?
Are EAN and UPC stored differently to GTIN?
EAN and UPC are stored as alias-only identifiers (no cached column on the product record). Functionally they behave the same: full history, active/retired status, and resolver support.