PK should be system generated and used only by the system to enforce referential integrity. So, use identity column. In most cases, it is invisible to the user. You can still have your field and make it an alternate key. Just index on it.

>Hello,
>
>I want to use MS sql database for my vfp program. In vfp I use a table with fields to generate primary keys for various tables. I lock the field and increment it and then format it according to my requirement like "Vno-00001".
>
>How can I do this in sql table from vfp? Should I use
>
>1) a stored procedure to generate the PK with Transaction Islolation
>
>2) An Insert statement with any explicit lock hints.
>
>I know that the best option is to use Identity column as searched on web. But I need to generate a PK or an Alternate key to identify my record with some serial numbers that based on month or year.
>
>TIA
>Naeem