Can you please elaborate on the point you just made as to why the primary
key should not relate to the data (even for a case when there is an existing
unique field that can be used to identify the record)
>From: "Joshua D. Drake" <jd@commandprompt.com>
>To: Sally Sally <dedeb17@hotmail.com>
>CC: pgsql-general@postgresql.org
>Subject: Re: [GENERAL] primary key and existing unique fields
>Date: Tue, 26 Oct 2004 09:48:50 -0700
>
>Sally Sally wrote:
>>Hi all,
>>I am wandering about the pros and cons of creating a separate serial field
>>for a primary key when I already have a single unique field. This existing
>>unique field will have to be a character of fixed length (VARCHAR(12))
>>because although it's a numeric value there will be leading zeroes. There
>>are a couple more tables with similar unique fields and one of them would
>>need to reference the others. Does anybody see any good reason for adding
>>a separate autoincrement primary key field for each table? or either way
>>is not a big deal.
>
>Your primary key should not be directly related to the data being stored.
>Outside of the fact that it is the primary reference or the row.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Joshua D. Drake
>
>
>
>>Sally
>>
>>_________________________________________________________________
>>Dont just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search!
>>http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/
>>
>>
>>---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
>>TIP 8: explain analyze is your friend
>
>
>--
>Command Prompt, Inc., home of PostgreSQL Replication, and plPHP.
>Postgresql support, programming shared hosting and dedicated hosting.
>+1-503-667-4564 - jd@commandprompt.com - http://www.commandprompt.com
>Mammoth PostgreSQL Replicator. Integrated Replication for PostgreSQL
><< jd.vcf >>
>
>---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
>TIP 6: Have you searched our list archives?
>
> http://archives.postgresql.org
_________________________________________________________________
Check out Election 2004 for up-to-date election news, plus voter tools and
more! http://special.msn.com/msn/election2004.armx
