SQL Server 2005 provides a new function called NewSequentialID that's similar to NewID(), a function that originated in SQL Server 2000 and is supported in SQL Server 2005. Both functions return a value of data type uniqueidentifier.

In the past, many people used NewID() to assign primary keys to columns, and these columns were unique across servers. When SQL Server 2000 first came out, I too used NewID() to create primary keys. Alas, I soon determined (as did many others) that using the Ne...