Re: What are cons and pros for using IDENTITY property as PK in SQL SERVER 2000?

"Louis Davidson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> The problem is with how it is used.  If you start giving users access to
> identity based values, you get into a bad spot where they want to make
> changes to the value (in my line of work, we don't like the numbers 666 in
> account numbers) so using identities for user values is a bad idea.  I use
> them only for internal pointers that are never presented to users, since
> they are not modifiable.  I could use guids, or characters, or whatever
for
> keys and no one would be the wiser.

Keys are logical identifiers. They identify data for the user as well as for
the dbms. Preventing the user from seeing the identifier is just stupid.


> > Natural keys are nothing more than familiar surrogates.
>
> You are kind of right here, but it is generally true that natural keys can
> change, because in the world, things can change.  Identities cannot
change.

It is not a "kind of" rightness. The statement is obviously and
self-evidently right to anyone with at least a minimal education in the
fundamentals of data management.


> --
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> -----------
> Louis Davidson ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
> Compass Technology Management
>
> Pro SQL Server 2000 Database Design
> http://www.apress.com/book/bookDisplay.html?bID=266
>
> Note: Please reply to the newsgroups only unless you are
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> "Bob Badour" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
> news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > "David Portas" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
> > news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > > > living people than VendorID values.  I don't think an identity
> VendorID
> > > > value is any more artificial than any other unique way of
identifying
> a
> > > > vendor, so long as it is assigned the first time a vendor enters the
> > > > system and is never changed.
> > >
> > > But the point is that a "natural" key is verifiable outside of the
> system.
> >
> > As soon as one records the generated identity value outside the system,
> the
> > key is verifiable outside of the system. All keys are surrogates or
> > artificial keys. Natural keys are nothing more than familiar surrogates.
> >
> >
>
>