Behind the Scenes of Autoincrement: How to Customize Starting Values in SQLite

There isn't a direct way to set the starting value within the command to create the table. However, you can achieve this using a two-step process:

1. Insert a dummy record: Insert a temporary row into your table with the desired starting value for the autoincrement column.

2. Delete the dummy record: Once the autoincrement sequence is set, you can delete this temporary row.

Here's why this works: SQLite keeps track of the highest used autoincrement value in a special internal table. By inserting a record with your chosen value, you essentially "trick" SQLite into starting the sequence from that point.

Important things to keep in mind:

• Modifying the internal SQLITE_SEQUENCE table directly is not recommended as it can disrupt the autoincrement mechanism.
• This approach is useful when you need a specific starting value for your IDs. Otherwise, the default starting at 1 usually works well.

Example 1: Starting from a Specific Value (e.g., 10)

-- Create a table with an autoincrement column
CREATE TABLE products (
  id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
  name TEXT NOT NULL
);

-- Insert a dummy record with the desired starting value (10 in this case)
INSERT INTO products (id) VALUES (10);

-- You can now insert real data with autoincrement starting from 11
INSERT INTO products (name) VALUES ('Product A');
INSERT INTO products (name) VALUES ('Product B');

-- (Optional) Delete the dummy record (not required for functionality)
DELETE FROM products WHERE id = 10;

CREATE TABLE users (
  user_id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
  username TEXT NOT NULL
);

INSERT INTO users (user_id) VALUES (1000);

INSERT INTO users (username) VALUES ('JohnDoe');
INSERT INTO users (username) VALUES ('JaneSmith');

1. Use a separate ID column:

If you have a strong need for a specific starting ID value and the autoincrement functionality isn't crucial, you could create a separate column with the desired data type (e.g., INTEGER) and manually assign your IDs during data insertion. This approach offers more control over the ID values but requires manual management.

1. Modify after creation (cautiously):

While not recommended for typical use cases, it's technically possible to modify the internal SQLITE_SEQUENCE table directly. This table tracks the highest used autoincrement value for each table. However, this approach can potentially corrupt the autoincrement mechanism if not done carefully. It's generally best to avoid this unless absolutely necessary.

Here's a brief explanation of the second approach (use with caution):

Steps:

• Identify the name of the SQLITE_SEQUENCE table:

  SELECT name FROM sqlite_master WHERE type='table' AND name LIKE 'sqlite_sequence_%';
  

• Update the SEQ value:

  UPDATE [SQLITE_SEQUENCE_TABLE_NAME] SET seq = [YOUR_DESIRED_STARTING_VALUE];