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Sequences

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Note

Sequences are a feature typically supported only by relational databases. If you're using a non-relational database such as Azure Cosmos DB, check your database documentation on generating unique values.

A sequence generates unique, sequential numeric values in the database. Sequences are not associated with a specific table, and multiple tables can be set up to draw values from the same sequence.

Basic usage

You can set up a sequence in the model, and then use it to generate values for properties:

protected override void OnModelCreating(ModelBuilder modelBuilder)
{
    modelBuilder.HasSequence<int>("OrderNumbers");

    modelBuilder.Entity<Order>()
        .Property(o => o.OrderNo)
        .HasDefaultValueSql("NEXT VALUE FOR OrderNumbers");
}

Note that the specific SQL used to generate a value from a sequence is database-specific; the above example works on SQL Server but will fail on other databases. Consult your specific database's documentation for more information.

Configuring sequence settings

You can also configure additional aspects of the sequence, such as its schema, start value, increment, etc.:

protected override void OnModelCreating(ModelBuilder modelBuilder)
{
    modelBuilder.HasSequence<int>("OrderNumbers", schema: "shared")
        .StartsAt(1000)
        .IncrementsBy(5);
}