why is datatype (increment) is changed into random

[Peter]

I created a table with several fields. The first field is
name ID (datatype is increment). Somehow or somewhere on
the line the "system" (which is propably me) changes the
datatype into random.

So the numbers in this field are not number 201, 202, 203
but 223546, 4748599, 36363663 (randomly).

Two questions.:
1 : why is this happening?
2 : since i do not use the name ID in a any kind of a
relation, will this harm my database or slower down the
database?.

Thanks

 

[Gary Miller]

Peter,

Look at the properties of that field in the table design
view. If your field is the Autonumber type there will be a
property call 'NewValues' that probably got flagged as
random instead of increment. It will not harm your db or
slow it down at all to keep it that way.

Gary Miller
Sisters, OR

 

[John Vinson]

I created a table with several fields. The first field is
name ID (datatype is increment). Somehow or somewhere on
the line the "system" (which is propably me) changes the
datatype into random.

So the numbers in this field are not number 201, 202, 203
but 223546, 4748599, 36363663 (randomly).

Two questions.:
1 : why is this happening?

Have you Replicated your database? If you do so, all Autonumbers will
become Random. It's also possible to manually or programmatically
change an autonumber from sequential to random.

2 : since i do not use the name ID in a any kind of a
relation, will this harm my database or slower down the
database?.

Not a bit. It's exactly the same size (Long Integer) number, whether
it contains 2 or -2004532814.