Using VS2005 today I needed to create a test database with a couple of
tables for a quick R&D test.  Instead of opening up SQL Enterprise Tools, I
just used the VS2005 database tools and created a new table.  I added an INT
column named ID and set it as the primary key.  I saved the table.  I then
went back into the designer and expanded the column Identity Specification
and tried to set the Identity property to Yes (true).  It wouldn't let me.
I made sure Allow Nulls was NOT checked and tried again.  Still no go.
Opened up help to:
ms-help://MS.VSCC.v80/MS.MSDN.v80/MS.VisualStudio.v80.en/dv_vdt01/html/d8949b19-3d8a-4b2a-a43c-6926c2aba64d.htm
"How to: Modify Column Identity Properties" and saw this note in the
documentation:
"The identity property can be set only for a column that disallows null
values and whose data type is decimal, int, numeric, smallint, bigint, or
tinyint. Also, it cannot be set for a primary key column."

Thinking I was going senile, I checked other tables I've created in the past
in my SQL instance and then resorted to looking up the Identity property in
the SQL Books Online and found *nothing* in there about not being able to
create a PK with an Ident property.  I mean, I've done this same thing a
billion times in the past...that's the whole point of an identity property,
right?

So why won't the database designer in VS 2005 allow this simple action?

Regards,

todd