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]
> "Bob Badour" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
> news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > "Louis Davidson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
> > news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > > > 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.
> >
> I suppose.  But I don't think that the statement means anything.

Then I can only conclude you lack the ability to comprehend relatively
simple written english.


> I don't
> agree that all natural keys are familiar surrogates.  Not every natural
key
> was initally randomly chosen.

No key is randomly chosen and nothing in surrogacy implies or suggests
randomness. A truly random choice would suggest a psychotic break with
reality. Nothing that anyone can use to identify me is me, and in that sense
any key that identifies me is only a surrogate for me.

Only values are self-identifying, but we use representations as surrogates
even for values.