Later, we'll cover the questions of whether or not to use the database Auto Increment feature as well as which data type(s) - if any - make the best PKs. In this first instalment, we'll compare the two basic types of PKs: Natural and Surrogate Keys. Somewhere in all those ideas, there will be a few that will steer you towards the best type of PK to use for your organizational needs. With that in mind, this series will present some reasons both for and against different types of PKs. Compounding the impediments to coming up with an answer is that there is no one size fits all solution. If you ask anyone who works with databases on a daily basis, whether database administrator, developer, or tester, you'll get a myriad of opinions and justifications to go along with them. One of the first decisions you'll be faced with as a database designer is what kind of Primary Key (PK) to use on your tables. Choosing a Primary Key - Part 1 by Robert Gravelle Natural vs.