Interestingly, sequence numbers are good for the use case of immutable logs and change data capture. But that is a different use case than temporal tracking.

Interestingly, sequence numbers are good for the use case of immutable logs and change data capture. But that is a different use case than temporal tracking. In SQL Server, CDC uses log sequence numbers (LSN) whereas temporal features use datetime2. I guess I didn't mean to say that sequence numbers shouldn't be used at all, tables that are bitemporal still have keys and identity values, just to use real dates and preferably GMT for the from/to dates for consistency. Sequence numbers are especially good for audit log forensics so long as the logs are immutable or protected. Gaps, etc. help with detection of deletions, tampering, etc. I agree with your comment about use case. Good point!