What's the best practice for primary keys in tables?

Question

When designing tables, I\'ve developed a habit of having one column that is unique and that I make the primary key. This is achieved in three ways depending on requirements

Answer 1

Natural versus artificial keys to me is a matter of how much of the business logic you want in your database. Social Security number (SSN) is a great example.

"Each client in my database will, and must, have an SSN." Bam, done, make it the primary key and be done with it. Just remember when your business rule changes you're burned.

I don't like natural keys myself, due to my experience with changing business rules. But if your sure it won't change, it might prevent a few critical joins.