choosing primary key
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Some where I read that SSN(social security number) can not be considered as primary key in complex applications. I also heard that if a person died now,after say 50 years there is a possibility for the SSN being reassigned. Is it right?
It used to be that SSNs were not to be used as identifiers... but by now, they've been abused so much that it's pretty much accepted. Of course, that creates an even better reason to not use them as primary keys - they can change. Since they're used as identifiers in so may places, they've become an important bit of information for identity thieves... and the last thing you want to be telling a stressed-out victim calling in to change her # in your system is that you can't change it because of a bad DB design, but we can create a new account - it'll take only a half hour...
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i hope you are feeling sleepy for people not calling you by the same.
--BarnaKol on abusive words
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jith - iii wrote:
Some where I read that SSN(social security number) can not be considered as primary key in complex applications. I also heard that if a person died after 50 years there is a possibility for the SSN being reassigned. Is it right?
SSNs are not reused. See http://www.ssa.gov/history/hfaq.html Q20: Are Social Security numbers reused after a person dies? A: No. We do not reassign a Social Security number (SSN) after the number holder's death. Even though we have issued over 415 million SSNs so far, and we assign about 5 and one-half million new numbers a year, the current numbering system will provide us with enough new numbers for several generations into the future with no changes in the numbering system. There have been instances of accidental duplication though, and some instances of numbers getting invalidated due to their use in advertising.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com linkNishant Sivakumar wrote:
the current numbering system will provide us with enough new numbers for several generations into the future with no changes in the numbering system.
About 2 generations or so. The last I heard they were expected to run out about the same time as the Y2039bug hits give or take demographic projection errors.
-- You have to explain to them [VB coders] what you mean by "typed". their first response is likely to be something like, "Of course my code is typed. Do you think i magically project it onto the screen with the power of my mind?" --- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
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Democratic and Republican politicians on Thursday both promised to enact new federal laws by the end of the year that would restrict some commercial uses of Social Security numbers, which are often implicated in identity fraud cases.
It's actually illegal to use the SSN for any purpose other than Social Security, according to the legislation that created it, and that was one of the things that made it possible to get the law passed. Americans have long opposed any universal numbering system, even more so in the past than now. The fact that the IRS, most other government agencies, banks, and almost all employers have flagrantly violated this federal law for decades seems to have escaped the notice of the Supreme Court.
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
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Democratic and Republican politicians on Thursday both promised to enact new federal laws by the end of the year that would restrict some commercial uses of Social Security numbers, which are often implicated in identity fraud cases.
:confused: What has this got to do with what Jith posted? You seem to prove that you are nothing more than a bot.
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It's actually illegal to use the SSN for any purpose other than Social Security, according to the legislation that created it, and that was one of the things that made it possible to get the law passed. Americans have long opposed any universal numbering system, even more so in the past than now. The fact that the IRS, most other government agencies, banks, and almost all employers have flagrantly violated this federal law for decades seems to have escaped the notice of the Supreme Court.
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
As well as most of the public, who hand it over like nothing (myself included, though I think I'd be a little more reluctant now). I hear stuff like this all the time, yet I don't know anyone who actually challenges that. Too bad :(
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Nishant Sivakumar wrote:
the current numbering system will provide us with enough new numbers for several generations into the future with no changes in the numbering system.
About 2 generations or so. The last I heard they were expected to run out about the same time as the Y2039bug hits give or take demographic projection errors.
-- You have to explain to them [VB coders] what you mean by "typed". their first response is likely to be something like, "Of course my code is typed. Do you think i magically project it onto the screen with the power of my mind?" --- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
dan neely wrote:
About 2 generations or so.
By that time, the government will probably have switched to GUID, and it will be tattooed in 10 different places on everyone's body. :)
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Some where I read that SSN(social security number) can not be considered as primary key in complex applications. I also heard that if a person died now,after say 50 years there is a possibility for the SSN being reassigned. Is it right?
A primary key should never represent any real value like a SSN. Marc
People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith -
:confused: What has this got to do with what Jith posted? You seem to prove that you are nothing more than a bot.
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A primary key should never represent any real value like a SSN. Marc
People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith -
Yeah thats what I am trying to tell, why does he need to copy paste the information about social security number. It is the bots which do stuff like this and give irrelevant information. BTW he seems to have already changed his post:doh:, he has a different text now.
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jith - iii wrote:
Some where I read that SSN(social security number) can not be considered as primary key in complex applications. I also heard that if a person died after 50 years there is a possibility for the SSN being reassigned. Is it right?
SSNs are not reused. See http://www.ssa.gov/history/hfaq.html Q20: Are Social Security numbers reused after a person dies? A: No. We do not reassign a Social Security number (SSN) after the number holder's death. Even though we have issued over 415 million SSNs so far, and we assign about 5 and one-half million new numbers a year, the current numbering system will provide us with enough new numbers for several generations into the future with no changes in the numbering system. There have been instances of accidental duplication though, and some instances of numbers getting invalidated due to their use in advertising.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com linkOk.But I have read somewhere(could not get that article though I'm searching it for an hour) that in some cases like a missing identity or something like that the SSN may be reused. Like we may see more than one person with the same SSN in a 100 year period,if other guy had expired or missing long before.
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Some where I read that SSN(social security number) can not be considered as primary key in complex applications. I also heard that if a person died now,after say 50 years there is a possibility for the SSN being reassigned. Is it right?
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A primary key should never represent any real value like a SSN. Marc
People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith -
Vikram A Punathambekar wrote:
So you fall into the "PKs should only be GUIDs" camp?
Absolutely. :) Marc
People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith -
jith - iii wrote:
Ok..but can it be used as a unique key.
Ah, for indexing? That I don't know. Marc
People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith -
I've been doing db related business apps for...well forever and I've come to learn that it's a wise person who uses Guid's as primary keys. Besides all the uniqueness reasons and ease of combining databases etc it's a huge performance benefit because you can generate them at the client and do single trips to the db server for just about any operation.
"110%" - it's the new 70%
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Ok.But I have read somewhere(could not get that article though I'm searching it for an hour) that in some cases like a missing identity or something like that the SSN may be reused. Like we may see more than one person with the same SSN in a 100 year period,if other guy had expired or missing long before.
jith - iii wrote:
Ok.But I have read somewhere(could not get that article though I'm searching it for an hour) that in some cases like a missing identity or something like that the SSN may be reused. Like we may see more than one person with the same SSN in a 100 year period,if other guy had expired or missing long before.
That article was incorrect then. The site I linked to is the official govt website.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com link -
Vikram A Punathambekar wrote:
"PKs should only be GUIDs"
Yes.
Regards, Satips.
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Some where I read that SSN(social security number) can not be considered as primary key in complex applications. I also heard that if a person died now,after say 50 years there is a possibility for the SSN being reassigned. Is it right?
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jith - iii wrote:
Ok..but can it be used as a unique key.
Ah, for indexing? That I don't know. Marc
People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith