# \[Self-hosted : External-DB\] NocoDB doesn't recognize edit of PK from Postgres
**URL:** https://community.nocodb.com/t/self-hosted-external-db-nocodb-doesnt-recognize-edit-of-pk-from-postgres/2114
**Category:** Self-Host
**Created:** [October 20, 2025, 1:52pm UTC](https://community.nocodb.com/t/self-hosted-external-db-nocodb-doesnt-recognize-edit-of-pk-from-postgres/2114 "2025-10-20T13:52:36Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@traste](https://community.nocodb.com/u/traste)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2025, 1:52pm UTC](https://community.nocodb.com/t/self-hosted-external-db-nocodb-doesnt-recognize-edit-of-pk-from-postgres/2114/1 "2025-10-20T13:52:36Z")
Hi!,
I’m struggling with Noco trying to use a text field as PK:
[](https://preview.redd.it/nocodb-doesn0t-recognize-text-field-as-pk-from-postgres-v0-i8lspkgio9wf1.png?width=2886&format=png&auto=webp&s=d7c2d4885aadb8d5cc9f46719645e06c7780ab2c "Image from r/NocoDB - NocoDB doesn0t recognize text field as PK from Postgres")
I’m using Postgres as external DB. My problem is exactly this one:
[https://community.nocodb.com/t/setting-primary-key-may-03/414/18?page=2](https://community.nocodb.com/t/setting-primary-key-may-03/414/18?page=2)
I tried what they discussed there:
- Syncing metadata
- Deleting the connection WITHIN the base, and re-adding it again
- Deleting the Postgres whole integration, rebooting Noco…, adding it back and, no luck!
Any suggestions?
Thanks
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### Author:  [@Navi](https://community.nocodb.com/u/Navi)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2025, 2:00pm UTC](https://community.nocodb.com/t/self-hosted-external-db-nocodb-doesnt-recognize-edit-of-pk-from-postgres/2114/2 "2025-10-20T14:00:12Z")
Could you please help describe what is the behaviour you see when you connect NocoDB to postgres with that table which has text primary key.
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### Author:  [@traste](https://community.nocodb.com/u/traste)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2025, 2:30pm UTC](https://community.nocodb.com/t/self-hosted-external-db-nocodb-doesnt-recognize-edit-of-pk-from-postgres/2114/3 "2025-10-20T14:30:23Z")
Thanks for answering! Sure thing:
I couldn’t upload that screenshot in my previous email (newbie limitations). Noco does not recognize the “id” field. So it creates a new PK field: “id1”.
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### Author:  [@Navi](https://community.nocodb.com/u/Navi)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2025, 2:42pm UTC](https://community.nocodb.com/t/self-hosted-external-db-nocodb-doesnt-recognize-edit-of-pk-from-postgres/2114/4 "2025-10-20T14:42:30Z")
Ah looks like you have ended up editing that primary key from autoincrement to text on a table that was natively created from NocoDB’s UI to begin with.
Here is a workaround, create the tables you need in postgres database with either SQL or clients like tablePlus or PgAdmin. Then after all done, connect NocoDB to it.
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### Author:  [@traste](https://community.nocodb.com/u/traste)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2025, 8:14pm UTC](https://community.nocodb.com/t/self-hosted-external-db-nocodb-doesnt-recognize-edit-of-pk-from-postgres/2114/5 "2025-10-20T20:14:04Z")
Thanks, but I have already tried something similar:
1. I edited the table fields in Postgress with PGadmin.
2. I removed the Postgress integration from Noco
1. I Deleted the whole base/project
I rebooted the machine. Then I added the Postgress integration and connected to the database.
is it the same? Thanks
I
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### Author:  [@traste](https://community.nocodb.com/u/traste)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2025, 11:08am UTC](https://community.nocodb.com/t/self-hosted-external-db-nocodb-doesnt-recognize-edit-of-pk-from-postgres/2114/6 "2025-10-21T11:08:16Z")
Thanks, I finally got it! I had to create a new table in Postgres and a new base in NocoDB.
