>Microsoft said that having sql automatically provide key values (Identity Column) can reduce costs and improve performance and reduces user-transaction bottlenecks.
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>Does this mean that all tables created should have an identity column field?

All tables should have a unique identifier to distinguish itself from other records. This is called the Primary Key. There has been a lot of discussion on the VFP forum that these keys should be surrogate (non-meaningful) and I agree with this philosophy. If MS says that Identity fields are the most cost effective way of accomplishing this, then by all means use it. However, I would like to know where you read this blurb from Microsoft.