Chris W wrote:
Mark Goodge wrote:
On a more general note, if the actual value of the primary key matters
for anything other than simply existing as a primary key, then you
shouldn't be using auto-increment at all. You should generate the
value through some other means and insert it with the value that you
want it to be.
Can you elaborate on that point? Do you not use auto-increment values
to link records in a one to many relationship?
Yes, but the relevant factor here is that in the table where the
auto-increment value is generated it has no meaning other than as a
unique id. In the other tables that use it as a reference, then it has
meaning there and needs to be inserted as a known value.
An auto-increment field can only be used where that value never needs to
be set by reference to an external value. It can be a value that other
external values are set to (such as in a one-to-many relationship), but
in the other tables that use it as a reference then it isn't inserted as
an auto-increment.
Mark
--
MySQL General Mailing List
For list archives: http://lists.mysql.com/mysql
To unsubscribe: http://lists.mysql.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]
