Auto-generated values for columns in database

Posted by Jamal on Stack Overflow See other posts from Stack Overflow or by Jamal
Published on 2010-03-09T05:51:58Z Indexed on 2010/03/09 6:06 UTC
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database-design

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linq-to-sql

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default-value

Is it a good practice to initialize columns that we can know their values in database, for example identity columns of type unique identifier can have a default value (NEWID()), or columns that shows the record create date can have a default value (GETDATE()).

Should I go through all my tables and do this whereever I am sure that I won't need to assign the value manually and the Auto-generated value is correct.

I am also thinking about using linq-to-sql classes and setting the "Auto Generated Value" property of these columns to true.

Maybe this is what everybody already knows or maybe I am asking a question about a fundamental issue, if so please tell me.

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