Database

ntegrity constraints are used to ensure accuracy and consistency of data in a relational database. Data integrity is handled in a relational database through the concept of referential integrity. There are many types of integrity constraints that play a role in referential integrity.


Entity integrity
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In the relational data model, entity integrity is one of the three inherent integrity rules. Entity integrity is an integrity rule which states that every table must have a primary key and that the column or columns chosen to be the primary key should be unique and not null [1].
A direct consequence of this integrity rule is that duplicate rows are forbidden in a table. If each value of a primary key must be unique no duplicate rows can logically appear in a table. The NOT NULL characteristic of a primary key ensures that a value can be used to identify all rows in a table.
Within relational databases using SQL, entity integrity is enforced by adding a primary key clause to a schema definition. The system enforces Entity Integrity by not allowing operations (INSERT, UPDATE) to produce an invalid primary key. Any operation that is likely to create a duplicate primary key or one containing nulls is rejected. The Entity Integrity ensures that the data that you store remains in the proper format as well as comprehendable.

Referential integrity

Referential integrity is a property of data which, when satisfied, requires every value of one attribute (column) of a relation (table) to exist as a value of another attribute in a different (or the same) relation (table).[citation needed]
Less formally, and in relational databases: For referential integrity to hold, any field in a table that is declared a foreign key can contain only values from a parent table's primary key or a candidate key. For instance, deleting a record that contains a value referred to by a foreign key in another table would break referential integrity. Some relational database management systems (RDBMS) can enforce referential integrity, normally either by deleting the foreign key rows as well to maintain integrity, or by returning an error and not performing the delete. Which method is used may be determined by a referential integrity constraint defined in a data dictionary.