Best Practices for Working with Identity Columns
To avoid encountering the “Cannot insert explicit value for identity column” error and ensure smooth operations with identity columns, consider the following best practices:
- Use Identity Columns Wisely: Reservation of identity columns only to surrogate keys or primary keys that necessarily require auto-generated values with unique values. Don’t try to wedge in values explicitly in the set-up for their identity columns unless it becomes necessary.
- Review Insert Statements Carefully: Check if the hidden use of identity columns as explicit values is not provided by accident through Insert statements.
- Enable IDENTITY_INSERT Selectively: USE the IDENTITY_INSERT only in case its activation is required for the value explicitly set into an identity column. Turn it off as soon as you finish it. It ain’t a good idea to leave it on in the long run.
- Test Scripts Thoroughly: Make sure that the scripts are debugged and any possible mistakes prior the scripts to being implemented in the production environment are removed and changed, so all the issues related to the identity column are rectified.
How to fix Cannot Insert Explicit Value For Identity Column in Table in SQL
In SQL, the error message “Cannot insert explicit value for identity column in table ‘table’ when IDENTITY_INSERT is set to OFF” is a common issue encountered when attempting to insert explicit values into an identity column in a table.
This error occurs because SQL, by default, does not allow explicit values to be inserted into identity columns unless the IDENTITY_INSERT option is explicitly set to ON for that table.In this article, we’ll delve into the causes of this error, how to resolve it, and best practices for working with identity columns in SQL.