-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 On 11/22/06 20:23, carter ck wrote: > Hi all, > > I am wonderring if it is a good practice to use SERIAL index as primary > key, as it is only available up to 9999999? > > Currently i am dealing with storing LDAP users into Postgres and i am > looking for a better way to make use of the DN as primary key instead of > SERIAL index. > > Any advice or suggestion is appreciated. I'm one of those who thinks that a (possibly multisegment) natural key *does* exist, and that if you think it doesn't, your design is wrong. For those times when and that when numeric sequences *are* needed (employee_id and account_number for example) they should include a check digit, to ensure that you don't mis-type a number and charge the wrong account. [I'm old enough to have worked in a Service Bureau where lots women keypunched form data into Mohawk key-to-tape machines, and check digits, which are also in credit cards and SSNs, are a perfect way to protect against typos.] - -- Ron Johnson, Jr. Jefferson LA USA Is "common sense" really valid? For example, it is "common sense" to white-power racists that whites are superior to blacks, and that those with brown skins are mud people. However, that "common sense" is obviously wrong. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.5 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQFFZcsbS9HxQb37XmcRAmtYAJ44k15B2bX8GQ6MegaEFGxeWm9q6gCgoVAT w+exLaR8symCHDzKwSgp5q0= =uIq6 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
