Summary
- Inserting rows into tables is a simple operation.
- Unique values can be generated
for use as the primary key.
- The unique key generation can be done by your
program or by the database (termed auto-incrementing).
- It's usually best to let the database do it.
- Auto-incrementing is not standardized, so
would likely need to be changed if you switched databases.
- Be careful about your quoting methods --
use of the qq construct is recommended.
If you did the Extra for Experts in the lab, you saw that you can
let your database protect the integrity of your primary keys.
Dan Keller Technical Services © 2000