Saturday, December 15, 2012
SQL Keys
Types of
SQL Keys
1.
Candidate
Key
A Candidate
Key is a set of one or more fields/columns that can identify a record uniquely
in a table. There can be multiple Candidate Keys in one table. Each Candidate
Key can work as Primary Key.
2.
Alternate
key
A
Alternate key is a key that can be work as a primary key. Basically it is a
candidate key that currently is not primary key.
3.
Super Key
Super key
is a set of one or more than one keys that can be used to identify a record
uniquely in a table. Example: Primary key, Unique key, Alternate key are
subset of Super Keys.
4.
Primary
Key
Primary
key is a set of one or more fields/columns of a table that uniquely identify a
record in database table. It can not accept null, duplicate values. Only one
Candidate Key can be Primary Key.
5.
Composite/Compound
Key
Composite
Key is a combination of more than one fields/columns of a table. It can be a
Candidate key, Primary key.
6.
Unique Key
Unique key
is a set of one or more fields/columns of a table that uniquely identify a
record in database table. It is like Primary key but it can accept only one
null value and it cannot have duplicate values.
7.
Foreign
Key
Foreign
Key is a field in database table that is Primary key in another table. It can
accept multiple null, duplicate values.
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