Database Error

What This Error Means

This error occurs when a developer tries to insert an explicit value into an identity column, which is not allowed when IDENTITY_INSERT is set to OFF.

Why It Happens

This error happens when a developer tries to insert a value into an identity column (a column that automatically generates a unique value) while IDENTITY_INSERT is set to OFF. IDENTITY_INSERT is used to allow or disallow explicit value specification for the identity column of a table.

How to Fix It

1. 1To fix this error, you need to either remove the explicit value specification or set IDENTITY_INSERT to ON. Here's an example:
2. 2// Before (broken code)
3. 3INSERT INTO orders (id, customer_id, order_date) VALUES (1, 123, '2022-01-01');
4. 4// After (fixed code)
5. 5SET IDENTITY_INSERT orders ON;
6. 6INSERT INTO orders (id, customer_id, order_date) VALUES (1, 123, '2022-01-01');
7. 7SET IDENTITY_INSERT orders OFF;

Example Code Solution

INSERT INTO orders (id, customer_id, order_date) VALUES (1, 123, '2022-01-01');

SET IDENTITY_INSERT orders ON;
INSERT INTO orders (id, customer_id, order_date) VALUES (1, 123, '2022-01-01');
SET IDENTITY_INSERT orders OFF;