Dear Tom:
This is a primary key NDC number. It is always 11 characters long and can be
numbers or text. The leading zeros are part of the number, so they must be
stored.They indicate how the NDC field may contain UPC, PIN, etc. rather than
strictly NDC numbers and what they were converted from if they are not true
NDC's. For example, a certain number of zeros means it is actually a UPC code
and not a true NDC. The zeros are essential for idenfication purposes. My
biggest headache is manually entering new primary key fields as they become
available (the company does not want to wait a month for new feed and would
prefer to enter new products as they become available) so I need a way to
assure the leading zeros are entered correctly in an automated fashion. Does
this make it more clear? I really do have a sticky problem.