"Brian Selzer" wrote in
:

Only an idiot would have a rule for no particularly good reason. Only
an imbecile would follow such a rule. A strong argument can be made
for using autonumber primary keys--especially if the target DBMS
doesn't support FOR EACH ROW triggers--but to just blythely add them
for no particularly good reason is a recipe for disaster. A clear
understanding of how and when they can be used and why is critical or
you run the risk of a corrupt database.

We often follow certain practices which we may describe as rules. These
customs may simplify our work, or contribute to its success.
Tony is a very experienced Access developer; readers of Comp Databases Ms-
Access have benefited from his sharing that experience, sometimes in
encapsulated form, as when he describes a usual, customary, or generalized
course of action or behaviour as a rule.

I follow the same rule. Having an auto-number primary key in each table
simplifies the establishment of relationships among tables. In Access, the
primary key auto-number ensures that forms bound to the table will be
editable, although any unique non-null index will serve that purpose. In
scripts using ADO, the primary key auto-number provides an identifier for
update and delete actions.

Could you cite instances of databases typically used with Access that have
been corrupted by auto-number primary keys?