"Those who favor natural data keys generally support their dogmatic arguments with theoretical ideas while ignoring technical merits. They often spout theory as though blind promotion of theoretical ideas somehow makes them practical facts. They love to talk jargon while pretending that every term has an extremely precise meaning, but their favorite expression is "by definition" and they repeat it very often. Their world seems to consist of a utopia of logical models while others are left to deal with the reality of physical existence."

"Those who favor surrogate keys generally take a much more pragmatic approach. They usually do not preach or lecture. They may feel strongly that their methods are better for various practical reasons, but they normally do not belittle those who prefer natural data keys. They acknowledge that surrogate key systems are not a perfect solution. They do not view the two approaches as being mutually exclusive. They do not view the other method as a form of pollution in a pristine world. They do not enter database discussions with a propensity to vigorously and aggressively defend intellectual territory. They simply want to implement reliable and efficient databases."