How Can I Efficiently Remove an Identity Property from a SQL Server Column?

Addressing Identity Property Removal Challenges in SQL Server

Removing the identity property from a column, especially in large tables, can be problematic using standard methods. Timeouts within SSMS are common. This article offers a T-SQL-based solution.

T-SQL Approach for Removing Identity Properties

Directly removing an IDENTITY property isn't possible. However, these methods achieve the same outcome:

Method 1: Dropping the Column

The simplest approach, if you don't need to retain the column's data, is to drop it entirely:

<code class="language-sql">ALTER TABLE yourTable
DROP COLUMN yourColumn;</code>

Method 2: Preserving Data While Removing IDENTITY

To preserve existing data:

1. Create a new column: Add a new column without the IDENTITY property.
2. Transfer data: Use an UPDATE statement to copy data from the original IDENTITY column to the new column.
3. Drop the original column: Remove the original IDENTITY column.
4. Rename the new column: Rename the new column to match the original column's name.

Further Reading:

• Learn more about the ALTER TABLE syntax: Microsoft SQL Server Documentation on ALTER TABLE

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