SQL Server how to drop identity from a column

Question

Is there an easy way to remove an identity from a table in SQL Server 2005?

When I use Management Studio, it generates a script that creates a mirror table without

Answer 1

I don't believe you can directly drop the IDENTITY part of the column. Your best bet is probably to:

• add another non-identity column to the table
• copy the identity values to that column
• drop the original identity column
• rename the new column to replace the original column

If the identity column is part of a key or other constraint, you will need to drop those constraints and re-create them after the above operations are complete.