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Posted by Stu on 10/12/05 05:32
First, your advice indicates that you don't understand the difference
between an index and a key; since you seem to have a background in
Access programming, that's understandable because Access goes out of
its way to hide the distinction. However, in SQL Server, indexes are
very different than keys, with different purposes. A key is used to
establish and maintain data integrity; an index is used to expedite
data retrieval.
Second, (as others have pointed out) a surrogate key has problems. It
doesn't reflect reality and it cannot be used for data validation.
However, I will grant you that using a simple surrogate key (like an
integer) can have benefits in terms of performance, scalability, and
data maintenance; however, those benefits come with a cost.
Which leads to my third point: by specifying an absolute, you have
pigeonholed your designs. It's a bit like a mechanic insisting on
using a #2 Phillips head bit on a #3 hole; all you get is a stripped
out, screwed up design. Again, using surrogate keys with a clustered
index is NOT a bad idea in the right situation; but in the wrong
situation, it's a dumb idea.
Stu
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