Hi everyone,

I’m looking for suggestions and real-world input on when it makes sense to use data embedded barcodes instead of standard barcodes or QR codes that link to a database.

I work with product and process data, and I’m trying to decide where embedded-data barcodes are actually useful and where they may add extra work without clear value. From what I understand so far, a data-embedded barcode stores the key information directly in the code, which can help when systems are offline or when fast access is needed without a lookup. Still, I’m unsure about the limits around data size, scanning speed, and long-term maintenance.

I’d like to hear from people who have used embedded-data barcodes in areas like manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, or field service. What problems did they solve for you? At what point did you decide a simple ID barcode was not enough? Also, were there cases where you tested data-embedded barcodes and decided not to move forward?

Any practical advice, examples, or lessons learned would really help me decide when this approach is worth using.