Sql table Default Value

Question

Hi everyone i have a project i am working on that consists on keeping tables the same at 3 different locations

i pull data that doesnt exist from each of these locations into a corporate table, i then need to send back down to the locations the new data so they are all the same

The table i am pulling from is a identity

My question is in Sql is there any way to make a table a identity without making it a identity as in setting the default value to be the max(id)+1, this is the only way i can figure i can keep the data structure the same without going to replication

Answer 1

The problem is that you're generating records in an IDENTITY field in multiple sources, then unable to combine them without those records being assigned new IDENTITY values.

By using a GUID as your key field, each of the 3 databases can create records which will have a unique ID, and you'll be able to then combine them without issue. You can still have a UNIQUE constraint on the field, but the likelihood of generating the same GUID is astronomically small.

Most replication processes utilize this GUID approach at some level already, so it's a common solution to this problem.