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Constraints

Constraints are used to define rules for data in database tables to maintain integrity. The main types of constraints are NOT NULL, UNIQUE, CHECK, DEFAULT, and key constraints like PRIMARY KEY and FOREIGN KEY. NOT NULL ensures columns do not contain NULL values, UNIQUE requires unique values, CHECK defines value ranges, and DEFAULT provides default values. PRIMARY KEY uniquely identifies each record and FOREIGN KEY links tables by relating to a PRIMARY KEY. Constraints enforce data limits and help prevent invalid data from being inserted, updated or deleted from tables.

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297 views

Constraints

Constraints are used to define rules for data in database tables to maintain integrity. The main types of constraints are NOT NULL, UNIQUE, CHECK, DEFAULT, and key constraints like PRIMARY KEY and FOREIGN KEY. NOT NULL ensures columns do not contain NULL values, UNIQUE requires unique values, CHECK defines value ranges, and DEFAULT provides default values. PRIMARY KEY uniquely identifies each record and FOREIGN KEY links tables by relating to a PRIMARY KEY. Constraints enforce data limits and help prevent invalid data from being inserted, updated or deleted from tables.

Uploaded by

RAtna
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Constraints are used to specify rules for the

data in a table.
 Constraints enforce limits to the data or type of
data that can be inserted/updated/deleted from a
table.
The main purpose of constraints is to maintain
the data integrity during an update/delete/insert
into a table.
Types of constraints
 NOT NULL
 UNIQUE
 CHECK
 DEFAULT
 Key Constraints – PRIMARY KEY, FOREIGN
KEY
 NOT NULL
NOT NULL constraint makes sure that a column does
not hold NULL value. When we don’t provide value
for a particular column while inserting a record into a
table, it takes NULL value by default. By specifying
NOT NULL constraint, we can be sure that a particular
column(s) cannot have NULL values.

Ex:
CREATE TABLE STUDENT
(
ROLL_NO INT NOT NULL,
STU_NAME VARCHAR (35) NOT NULL,
STU_AGE INT NOT NULL,
STU_ADDRESS VARCHAR (235),
PRIMARY KEY (ROLL_NO)
);
 UNIQUE:
UNIQUE Constraint enforces a column or set of
columns to have unique values. If a column has
a UNIQUE constraint, it means that particular
column cannot have duplicate values in a table.
Ex:
CREATE TABLE STUDENT
(
ROLL_NO INT NOT NULL,
STU_NAME VARCHAR (35) NOT NULL UNIQUE,
STU_AGE INT NOT NULL,
STU_ADDRESS VARCHAR (35) UNIQUE,
PRIMARY KEY (ROLL_NO)
);
 CHECK
CHECK constraint is used to restrict the value of a column
between a range. It performs check on the values, before
storing them into the database. Its like condition checking
before saving data into a column.
When this constraint is being set on a column, it ensures
that the specified column must have the value falling in the
specified range.
Ex:
create table Student
(
S_id INT NOT NULL CHECK( S_id > 100),
Name VARCHAR(60) NOT NULL,
Age INT
);
 DEFAULT:
The DEFAULT constraint provides a default value to a
column when there is no value provided while inserting a
record into a table.
Ex:
CREATE TABLE STUDENT
(
ROLL_NO INT NOT NULL,
STU_NAME VARCHAR (35) NOT NULL,
STU_AGE INT NOT NULL,
EXAM_FEE INT DEFAULT 10000,
STU_ADDRESS VARCHAR (35) ,
PRIMARY KEY (ROLL_NO)
);
we have set the default value of EXAM_FEE column to 10000 using
DEFAULT constraint.
Key constraints

 PRIMARY KEY:
Primary key uniquely identifies each record in a table. It must
have unique values and cannot contain nulls. In the below
example the ROLL_NO field is marked as primary key, that
means the ROLL_NO field cannot have duplicate and null
values.
ex:
CREATE TABLE STUDENT
(
ROLL_NO INT NOT NULL,
STU_NAME VARCHAR (35) NOT NULL UNIQUE,
STU_AGE INT NOT NULL,
STU_ADDRESS VARCHAR (35) UNIQUE,
PRIMARY KEY (ROLL_NO)
);
 FOREIGN KEY
Foreign keys are the columns of a table that points to the
primary key of another table.
FOREIGN KEY is used to relate two tables.
FOREIGN KEY constraint is also used to restrict actions that
would destroy link between table.
Ex:
CREATE table Order_Detail
(
order_id int PRIMARY KEY,
order_name varchar(60) NOT NULL,
c_id int FOREIGN KEY REFERENCES Customer_Detail(c_id)
);
In Customer_Detail table, c_id is the primary key which is set as foreign key
in Order_Detail table. The value that is entered in c_id which is set as foreign key
in Order_Detail table must be present in Customer_Detail table where it is set as
primary key. This prevents invalid data to be inserted into c_id column
of Order_Detailtable.
THANK YOU

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