Setting starting value for AUTO_INCREMENT field in MySQL database

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1

I’m working on a MySQL database and need to configure an auto-incrementing primary key column to begin counting from a specific number instead of the default 1.

Basically, I want my user_id column to start generating values from 2000 onwards. When I run queries like:

INSERT INTO customers (username, phone_number) VALUES ('john_doe', '[email protected]');

I don’t want to manually specify the user_id value each time. The database should automatically assign 2000 for the first record, 2001 for the second, and so on.

What’s the correct MySQL syntax to configure this auto-increment starting point? I’ve tried a few approaches but haven’t gotten the desired results yet.

2

To set the starting point for the AUTO_INCREMENT field in MySQL, you can use the ALTER TABLE statement. For instance:

ALTER TABLE customers AUTO_INCREMENT = 2000;

This command reconfigures the next auto-increment value to 2000. It’s a common practice, especially when dealing with migrations or specific ID requirements. Just remember to run this before adding new entries; otherwise, the database will continue from the highest existing ID. If any IDs already exceed 2000, the setting will be ignored.