Is deoxyribonucleic acid simply a unique id or does it actually tell your cells how to form?

It is not just acid mind it!! It is everything that controls life.It solely codes for proteins which in turn perform vital functions in your body and proteins are indispensable.The proteins in turn perform other functions to carry on your life.Complexity is because of the proteins and intelligence is not only in genes but also in the environmental conditions in with any person in brought up.He gains knowledge and experiences as he grows and gets older.All other features like cell structure, complexity,life span etc. is goverened by DNA.But there are exceptions in few cases.