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  1. #1
    mirhamxa is offline Novice
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    Which column should be selected as the Primary Key in a database

    I am creating a database for the project of my school. It will not be used for my school, but this only an assignment. I just wanted to know, while creating a database for the students, which column should be the primary key?



    The roll number assigned by the school?
    The national identity card number?

  2. #2
    pbaldy's Avatar
    pbaldy is offline Who is John Galt?
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    If the roll number is guaranteed to be unique to a student, I'd use that. That's partially my hesitancy to use an identity number that sounds like a US social security number, which could introduce privacy concerns. If you use the national number, I wouldn't expose it unless I had to.
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  3. #3
    mirhamxa is offline Novice
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    That is why I was confused about using the national number. So, roll number could be the primary key.
    Thanks.

  4. #4
    pbaldy's Avatar
    pbaldy is offline Who is John Galt?
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    Only if it's unique and I should have added can't change (like my roll number is 123 this year and 456 next year).

    Welcome to the site by the way!
    Paul (wino moderator)
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  5. #5
    ssanfu is offline Master of Nothing
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    My PK field is always an autonumber type and every table has one.
    Maybe this will help.... Microsoft Access Tables: Primary Key Tips and Techniques

  6. #6
    mirhamxa is offline Novice
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    Yes, got that. The pattern of roll number includes the year. Like all the students who got admission in 2018 will have 2018 at the start of their roll number. Like if I got the roll number 129 in 2018, then my complete roll number would be 2018-129 and it will remain the same each year. The next year there might be another person who got the number 129 but his complete roll number will be 2019-129.

    So it will remain unique and the same for individuals.

  7. #7
    Micron is online now Virtually Inert Person
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    I probably wouldn't use it. The school could alter their scheme any year they want to, even to the point of re-assigning current students new numbers in a new schema. Then there are other possible variables, like what happens if you drop out next year and come back the year after? Now you're 2021-129? 2021 + some new number? I might make it a unique + required index, but not likely the PK since there's no compelling reason to make it a PK when you could use something else that guarantees uniqueness.
    The more we hear silence, the more we begin to think about our value in this universe.
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  8. #8
    isladogs's Avatar
    isladogs is offline MVP / VIP
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    Disagree completely.
    I WOULD use the admission number (or roll number if you prefer) though if there is a national unique pupil number (UPN) that would be equally valid.

    This is one time that using an autonumber is in my view utterly pointless as there is a unique number (or text) value already available
    In addition, it is very likely that data would be imported from the central school or local area database so you should use the existing primary key value(s)

    In many years of experience working in UK schools, they do not change admission number systems for students already on roll.
    If for any reason the system is changed, it is applied to new admissions for the next academic year but NOT for existing students.
    I would be very surprised it that were different in other locations.

    Readmissions will continue to use the original admission number as, of course, their data remains (archived) on the central school database
    Colin, Access MVP, Website, email
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  9. #9
    Micron is online now Virtually Inert Person
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    The roll number assigned by the school?
    The national identity card number?
    I guess those phrases mean something to you. They mean nothing of the sort to me, and the notion that a whole country would have the same enrollment system didn't occur to me. My bad.

    I guess that comes from living in a country that's 10 million square kilometers versus one that's only 130,000.
    Pretty impressive to have one system when England has about 1.7 times the population of Canada.

  10. #10
    CJ_London is online now VIP
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    Ah but in Canada you have to really shout to be heard in the next community - in the UK you only have to whisper

  11. #11
    isladogs's Avatar
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    Actually in the UK we have at least 4 different systems for England, Scotland, Wales & NI

    There is indeed a national Unique Pupil Number (UPN) as well as another unique number called the Unique Learner Number (ULN) used for exams.
    Never understood why both were needed!
    However each school will define their own admission number (AdNo) system e.g. 12345 or 012345 or A12345
    When a student transfers schools a common transfer form (CTF) is forwarded to the new school and this will include the UPN.

    Doncha' just love acronyms
    Colin, Access MVP, Website, email
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