How to Alter a table for Identity Specification is identity SQL Server

Question

---

not working

ALTER TABLE ProductInProduct ALTER COLUMN Id KEY IDENTITY (1, 1);

Check Image

I have a table ProductInProduct is

Answer 1

You can't alter the existing columns for identity.

You have 2 options,

Create a new table with identity & drop the existing table

Create a new column with identity & drop the existing column

Approach 1. (New table) Here you can retain the existing data values on the newly created identity column.

CREATE TABLE dbo.Tmp_Names
    (
      Id int NOT NULL
             IDENTITY(1, 1),
      Name varchar(50) NULL
    )
ON  [PRIMARY]
go

SET IDENTITY_INSERT dbo.Tmp_Names ON
go

IF EXISTS ( SELECT  *
            FROM    dbo.Names ) 
    INSERT  INTO dbo.Tmp_Names ( Id, Name )
            SELECT  Id,
                    Name
            FROM    dbo.Names TABLOCKX
go

SET IDENTITY_INSERT dbo.Tmp_Names OFF
go

DROP TABLE dbo.Names
go

Exec sp_rename 'Tmp_Names', 'Names'

Approach 2 (New column) You can’t retain the existing data values on the newly created identity column, The identity column will hold the sequence of number.

Alter Table Names
Add Id_new Int Identity(1, 1)
Go

Alter Table Names Drop Column ID
Go

Exec sp_rename 'Names.Id_new', 'ID', 'Column'

See the following Microsoft SQL Server Forum post for more details:

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/forums/en-US/transactsql/thread/04d69ee6-d4f5-4f8f-a115-d89f7bcbc032