Required Field Default Lookups SSN

According to me the best way to automatically generate fake Social Security Numbers in the sequence 999-99-9999, 999-99-9998, 999-99-9997, etc. when the real SSN is missing during data entry is to use a single-record Settings table combined with an Automation. Create a Settings table with a numeric field called “Last Fake Number” (default value 9999). In your main data table, keep the existing SSN text field. Set up an Automation that triggers when a new record is added (or when SSN is empty), pulls the current Last Fake Number from the Settings table, assigns the SSN as “999-99-” followed by the four-digit formatted number, and then decrements the counter in the Settings table by 1. This approach is reliable, avoids race conditions with multiple users, and makes the fake numbers easy to identify and filter later. Alternatives include using a pure Formula Query to calculate the next number based on existing records (simpler but slightly less reliable under high volume) or maintaining a full list of fake SSNs in a separate table. The 999-99-XXXX format is the standard for test/invalid SSNs and works well for development and temporary data entry needs.