When creating a table in Access, is it necessary to use an auto number field if we already have unique identifiers for each entry (like equipment number)? Or would I need to use the autonumber field as well?Thanks!
Novice
Windows 8 
Access 2013 32bit
When creating a table in Access, is it necessary to use an auto number field if we already have unique identifiers for each entry (like equipment number)? Or would I need to use the autonumber field as well?Thanks!
VIP
Windows 7 32bit Access 2007
No, its not necessary. If you are confident that they will always be unique and never change, your really shouldn't need to use an Autonumber field.
There are different schools of thought. Some people like to use them for all tables, regardless, and others don't see the need for it. So some of it is just personal preference.
VIP
Windows 8 Access 2010 32bit
only issue you may have is if the equipment number is mistyped and then corrected then you need to modify all the family keys as well ( although you can set it to auto update) - and text values potentially perform slower on retrieval.
How do I get the CREATE TABLE part from a table creation query?
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