> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://documentation.ardoq.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://documentation.ardoq.com/data-model/identifiers-in-ardoq.md).
# Identifiers in Ardoq
Learn how components and references are uniquely identified in the Ardoq platform.
## Overview
Identifiers (IDs) are important in Ardoq because they allow you to uniquely identify components and references and to assign relationships between different components. Internally, the following IDs are available within Ardoq:
* Component name
* Custom ID
* Ardoq ID
* Ardoq OID
When importing data to Ardoq, each component must have a unique identifier to be importable.
## Component Name
A component name can be a valid identifier for any component whose name is unique — for instance, the name of a country. However, it won't work in cases like the names of people or cities, which may be the same but refer to different persons or places.
In such instances, Ardoq will flag that duplicate values are to be created and will automatically remove any component name after the first instance.
## Custom ID
Custom IDs are user-defined IDs most useful for storing IDs imported from other platforms into Ardoq. Custom IDs can be used when bringing relationships from external system into Ardoq — for instance, relating applications to users who are owners of said application. Common custom IDs include emails and sys\_ids.
Ardoq will still create an Ardoq OID for any component with a custom ID.
## Ardoq OID
Ardoq Object ID (OID) is an automatically-generated ID for every component and reference within Ardoq based on the [MongoDB object ID](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/manual/reference/method/ObjectId/). It can be used to create references during imports and is usually the ID used for components being exported to other platforms.
## Ardoq ID
An Ardoq ID is intended to be a more human-readable alternative to an OID. Ardoq IDs are generated based on the first letters of each word in the name of the workspace and an incremented number. For instance, components in the New Business Units workspace will be called NBU-1, NBU-2, and so on.\
\
The Ardoq OID and Ardoq ID are unique across all workspaces. The Ardoq OID is an automatically-generated ID based on the MongoDB object ID, ensuring uniqueness for every component and reference within Ardoq. Similarly, the Ardoq ID is generated as a more human-readable alternative to the OID, and it also maintains uniqueness across all workspaces.
## Viewing IDs
All identifiers can be viewed in the Data Inventory be enabling their relevant columns.
## Other Uses of IDs
### Custom ID Configuration in Ardoq
You can extend the search functionality in Ardoq by selecting a custom ID from your Ardoq instance to work as a searchable parameter.
You can find this option by going to the main menu, clicking your organization name, selecting **Admin** > **Organizational settings** and going to the **Search settings** tab.
By default, Ardoq search uses Ardoq IDs to find components. However, if you're more familiar with other IDs — for instance, project IDs in Jira — you can add those to the custom ID field to allow searching by those IDs.
