SQL Azure as a linked server -> get identity of inserted row - sql-server-2008

Question

I've set up our Azure cloud DB to be a linked server to our 'SQL server 2008 R2'-server like this post described: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlcat/archive/2011/03/08/linked-servers-to-sql-azure.aspx
I've enabled RPC and RPC Out because I read that somewhere.
Now the problem is I cannot get the ID of the just inserted record. Please take a look at this test table:
CREATE TABLE dbo.TEST
(
ID INT IDENTITY(1, 1) NOT NULL
CONSTRAINT PK_TEST_ID PRIMARY KEY CLUSTERED ( [ID] ASC )WITH (PAD_INDEX = OFF, STATISTICS_NORECOMPUTE = OFF, IGNORE_DUP_KEY = OFF, ALLOW_ROW_LOCKS = ON, ALLOW_PAGE_LOCKS = ON)
)
I've also created this stored procedure:
CREATE PROCEDURE test_create #ID INT OUTPUT
AS
BEGIN
-- SET NOCOUNT ON added to prevent extra result sets from
-- interfering with SELECT statements.
SET NOCOUNT ON;
INSERT INTO TEST
DEFAULT VALUES
SELECT #ID = SCOPE_IDENTITY()
END
I've tried to get the last inserted value through multiple ways but none of them are working:
DECLARE #ID INT
EXEC AZURE01.TestDB.dbo.test_create #ID OUTPUT
SELECT #ID
INSERT INTO AZURE01.TestDB.dbo.TEST DEFAULT VALUES
SELECT #ID = SCOPE_IDENTITY();
SELECT #ID
INSERT INTO AZURE01.TestDB.dbo.TEST DEFAULT VALUES
SELECT #ID = ##IDENTITY
SELECT #ID
SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY(AZURE01, 'INSERT INTO TestDB.dbo.TEST DEFAULT VALUES; SELECT SCOPE_IDENTITY() AS ID');
DECLARE #ScopeIdentity TABLE (ID int);
INSERT INTO #ScopeIdentity
EXEC AZURE01.master..sp_executesql N'
 INSERT TestDB.dbo.TEST DEFAULT VALUES;
 SELECT SCOPE_IDENTITY()';
SELECT * FROM #ScopeIdentity;
INSERT AZURE01.TestDB.dbo.TEST
OUTPUT inserted.ID
INTO #ScopeIdentity
DEFAULT VALUES
SELECT * FROM #ScopeIdentity
I understand why SCOPE_IDENTITY() and ##IDENTITY don't work (because they are local functions/variables which don't have information from the linked server) but the stored procedure with the output parameter should work, right? (locally on the server it works)
Anyone? :-)

Answer 1

Have you considered using a GUID (uniqueidentifier) field instead of or as well as int?
You can then generate the ID client-side (there's a multitude of tools to generate GUIDs) and pass that straight in your insert.
You then have the choice of re-selecting the row based on the GUID column to get the new int value or just use the GUID field as your PK and be done with it.

Answer 2

--create proc on azure database
create proc xxp_GetId
as
begin
--exec xxp_GetId
DECLARE #ID INT
INSERT INTO dbo.bit_CubeGetParameter DEFAULT VALUES
SELECT #ID = SCOPE_IDENTITY();
SELECT #ID
end
-- now run this query on your sql server
exec <"Link Server">.<"Azure Database Name">.dbo.xxp_GetId

Answer 3

The issue is the remote server execution.
What you can try is :
EXEC #TSqlBatch AT LinkedServer
What this does is tell the database at the other side to execute the tsql locally.
This has many uses. Maybe it can serve in this case as well, as the Scope_Identity() should be executed locally along with the insert.