ident_current shows wrong last inserted id

Question

I got a problem. I use SQL Server 2008 Express.

When new row is inserted into a table the IDENT_CURRENT function returns correct value (last inserted row id). But when the last inserted row is deleted (DELETE FROM REPORT WHERE ID='last_inserted_id') the IDENT_CURRENT function returns id of the deleted row. It do not update.

I need to return the last id from the table.

SELECT IDENT_CURRENT('report')

Answer 1

This is working as expected. The function returns the last identity value used, even if it's been deleted. Here's an excerpt from Microsoft's documentation:

IDENT_CURRENT returns the last identity value generated for a specific table in any session and any scope.

Answer 2

Identity always goes up. It won't go down if you delete rows. Plus it can have 'blanks' in values. Read this for detailes http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms186775.aspx

Answer 3

If you want the max ID you can find in your table, just use

SELECT MAX(ID) FROM table