# Row ID with leading special character breaks ETL integration **URL:** \ **Category:** Ask for Help\ **Created:** [July 6, 2020, 6:40pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-with-leading-special-character-breaks-etl-integration/12065 "2020-07-06T18:40:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jazz78](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/jazz78/32/6916_2.png) [@jazz78](https://community.glideapps.com/u/jazz78)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 6:40pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-with-leading-special-character-breaks-etl-integration/12065/1 "2020-07-06T18:40:29Z")
Hi, Does anyone have a hack or workaround to prevent the row-id from ‘starting’ with special characters e.g. row id: +JzutOInTzGXmyi9AccIgA This is causing a major headache for us with an ETL integration we rely on, and I only just discovered it. Thank you ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Hager](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/jeff_hager/32/43_2.png) [@Jeff\_Hager](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Jeff_Hager)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 7:00pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-with-leading-special-character-breaks-etl-integration/12065/2 "2020-07-06T19:00:38Z")
Depending on how data is entered into the sheet…if it comes from the app, you could use the Unique ID Special Value instead, which follows GUID/UUID standards I believe. You may still need RowID for some other functionality in Glide, so in that case you could use both, but only use the Unique ID for your ETL integration. ---
**Author:** ![Krivo](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/krivo/32/5363_2.png) [@Krivo](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Krivo)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 7:04pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-with-leading-special-character-breaks-etl-integration/12065/3 "2020-07-06T19:04:25Z")
@jazz78 I had a similar problem. See below @mark could you also look into this as you would do with the slash character [Rowid with slash - can that be avoided](https://community.glideapps.com/t/rowid-with-slash-can-that-be-avoided/11185) ---
**Author:** ![jazz78](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/jazz78/32/6916_2.png) [@jazz78](https://community.glideapps.com/u/jazz78)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 7:15pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-with-leading-special-character-breaks-etl-integration/12065/4 "2020-07-06T19:15:29Z")
Thanks @Jeff_Hager unfortunately on that ETL - cannot ‘choose’ which columns to load. Greatly appreciate any other ideas? Also on this topic - can i change the title ? if not , the space and emoji '🔒Row ID ’ are unhelpful - would appreciate ‘Row\_Id’ Thank you ---
**Author:** ![jazz78](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/jazz78/32/6916_2.png) [@jazz78](https://community.glideapps.com/u/jazz78)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 7:17pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-with-leading-special-character-breaks-etl-integration/12065/5 "2020-07-06T19:17:02Z")
Thanks @Krivo - yes i vote toss special characters out of that field, unhelpful and unnecessary. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Hager](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/jeff_hager/32/43_2.png) [@Jeff\_Hager](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Jeff_Hager)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 7:24pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-with-leading-special-character-breaks-etl-integration/12065/6 "2020-07-06T19:24:57Z")
You could try duplicating your app and changing the RowID heading then adding a new row. I’m not sure how glide will react to that. If you don’t need RowID for anything, you could just eliminate it from your sheet and use Unique ID as i mentioned above. ---
**Author:** ![jazz78](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/jazz78/32/6916_2.png) [@jazz78](https://community.glideapps.com/u/jazz78)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 7:31pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-with-leading-special-character-breaks-etl-integration/12065/7 "2020-07-06T19:31:52Z")
thanks @Jeff_Hager - i was not sure if that would break anything. i can try removing and rebuilding - but it forms part of another sheet, so it’s really a pain to have to recalibrate the other sheet with the new ‘related’ unique id (5,000+ records) , but yes at least it’s a workaround. can i rename 🔒Row ID to just Row\_ID ? or will it break anything, I’m not sure if that’s a system thing. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Hager](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/jeff_hager/32/43_2.png) [@Jeff\_Hager](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Jeff_Hager)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 7:37pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-with-leading-special-character-breaks-etl-integration/12065/8 "2020-07-06T19:37:29Z")
> [@Jeff\_Hager](#): > > You could try duplicating your app and changing the RowID heading then adding a new row. I’m not sure how glide will react to that. X ---
**Author:** ![Mark](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/mark/32/125_2.png) [@Mark](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Mark)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 9:23pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-with-leading-special-character-breaks-etl-integration/12065/9 "2020-07-06T21:23:51Z")
We’ll make it happen by Wednesday. ---
**Author:** ![Pat\_Baker](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/pat_baker/32/2472_2.png) [@Pat\_Baker](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Pat_Baker)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2020, 1:41pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-with-leading-special-character-breaks-etl-integration/12065/10 "2020-09-17T13:41:14Z")
@Jazz, If your ETL process is selective for the sheets you are loading you could use an arrayformula to populate the data you need onto a separate sheet with all the necessary changes to names etc. You could either drop the Row Id and use the UUID as suggested above or wrap the value of the Row Id to make it acceptable in the ETL processing. > ={arrayformula(substitute({TimeBookingEvent!A1:B1,TimeBookingEvent!E1:F1},“🔒”,“”));{TimeBookingEvent!A2:B,TimeBookingEvent!E2:F}} The above will replicate columns 1,2,5,6 from sheet TimeBookingEvent with the padlock removed from the headers.