How Can I Remove the IDENTITY Property from a Database Column in SQL Server?

Removing the IDENTITY Property in SQL Server

Problem: Removing the IDENTITY property from a column in a large SQL Server table via SSMS can lead to timeouts. Is there a T-SQL solution?

Solution: Directly removing the IDENTITY property after it's been set is not possible using T-SQL.

Removing the Entire Column: The simplest solution, if the data isn't needed, is to drop the column:

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

Data Preservation Method: To retain the data, follow these steps:

1. Create a new column: Add a new column without the IDENTITY property.
2. Transfer data: Copy the data from the old IDENTITY column to the new column.
3. Drop the old column: Remove the original IDENTITY column.
4. Rename the new column: Change the name of the new column to match the old column's name.

Summary: There's no direct way to remove the IDENTITY property. The best approach depends on whether you need to preserve the existing data. Dropping the column is efficient if data retention isn't a requirement; otherwise, the alternative method ensures data is safely transferred.

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