Re: PostgreSQL Developer Best Practices

On 08/25/2015 09:09 AM, Rob Sargent wrote:
> On 08/25/2015 09:40 AM, Melvin Davidson wrote:
>> Adrian,
>>
>> Stop being so technical. When we/I speak of natural keys, we are
>> talking about the column
>> that would NATURALly lend itself as the primary key.
>> No one ever said a number is not natural. just that there is no need
>> to duplicate uniqueness
>> with a separate number.
>>
>> IOW: If we have an account table, then the account_id or account_no
>> would be the primary key. There is no need to have a separate
>> serial id as the primary key.
> If I'm following correctly, you're saying that if the definition of the
> entity contains and arbitrary unique value then use that. Fine. I guess
> I quibble with the notion of VIN as a "natural" attribute of car. (I
> have no firsthand experience with VINs but I would bet there's
> information tucked inside them, which would make me sceptical of using
> them :) )
>

But a VIN is in fact, UNIQUE so it is useful as a PK.

JD

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