SQL Server Int or BigInt database table Ids

Question

I am writing a new program and it will require a database (SQL Server 2008). Everything I am running now for the system is 64-bit, which brings me to this question. For all

Answer 1

The alignment of 32 bit numbers with x86 architecture or 64 bit with x64 architecture is called data structure alignment

This has no meaning for data in a database because here it's things disk space, data cache and table/index architecture that affect performance (as mentioned in other answers).

Remember, it's not the CPU accessing the data as such. It's the DB engine code (which may be aligned, but who cares?) that runs on the CPU and manipulates your data. When/if your data goes through the CPU it certainly won't be in the same on-disk structures.