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01_02_Keys

The document explains various types of keys used in database management, including primary keys, candidate keys, super keys, foreign keys, alternate keys, composite keys, and artificial keys. Each key type serves a specific purpose in uniquely identifying records within a table or linking tables together. Examples from an EMPLOYEE table illustrate how these keys function in practice.

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4 views

01_02_Keys

The document explains various types of keys used in database management, including primary keys, candidate keys, super keys, foreign keys, alternate keys, composite keys, and artificial keys. Each key type serves a specific purpose in uniquely identifying records within a table or linking tables together. Examples from an EMPLOYEE table illustrate how these keys function in practice.

Uploaded by

ASK 011
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1.

Primary key
 It is the first key used to identify one and only one instance of an entity uniquely.
An entity can contain multiple keys, as we saw in the PERSON table.
 In the EMPLOYEE table, ID can be the primary key since it is unique for each
employee. In the EMPLOYEE table, we can even select License_Number and
Passport_Number as primary keys since they are also unique.

2. Candidate key
o Except for the primary key, the remaining attributes are considered a
candidate key.
For example: In the EMPLOYEE table, id is best suited for the primary key. The rest
of the attributes, like SSN, Passport_Number, License_Number, etc., are considered a
candidate key.
3. Super Key
Super key is an attribute set that can uniquely identify a tuple.
A super key is a superset of a candidate key.
For example: EMPLOYEE table, for(EMPLOYEE_ID, EMPLOYEE_NAME),
the name of two employees can be the same, but their EMPLYEE_ID can't be the
same.
Hence, this combination can also be a key.

The super key would be EMPLOYEE-ID (EMPLOYEE_ID, EMPLOYEE-NAME), etc.

4. Foreign key
 Foreign keys are the column of the table used to point to the primary key of
another table.
 Every employee works in a specific department in a company,
o employee and department are two different entities.
o So we can't store the department's information in the employee table.
o That's why we link these two tables through the primary key of one table.
 We add the primary key of the DEPARTMENT table, Department_Id, as a new
attribute in the EMPLOYEE table.
 In the EMPLOYEE table, Department_Id is the foreign key, and both the tables are
related.
5. Alternate key
 There may be one or more attributes or a combination of attributes that uniquely
identify each tuple in a relation.

 These attributes or combinations of the attributes are called the candidate keys.

 One key is chosen as the primary key from these candidate keys,

o and the remaining candidate key, if it exists, is termed the alternate key.

In other words, the total number of the alternate keys is the total number of candidate
keys minus the primary key.
The alternate key may or may not exist.
If there is only one candidate key in a relation, it does not have an alternate key.

6. Composite key
Whenever a primary key consists of more than one attribute, it is known as a
composite key. This key is also known as Concatenated Key.

For example, in employee relations, we assume that an employee may be assigned


multiple roles, and an employee may work on multiple projects simultaneously.
So the primary key will be composed of all three attributes, namely Emp_ID,
Emp_role, and Proj_ID in combination.
So these attributes act as a composite key since the primary key comprises more
than one attribute.
7. Artificial key
 The key created using arbitrarily assigned data are known as artificial keys.

 These keys are created when a primary key is large and complex and has no
relationship with many other relations.

 The data values of the artificial keys are usually numbered in a serial order.

For example, the primary key, which is composed of Emp_ID, Emp_role, and Proj_ID, is
large in employee relations. So it would be better to add a new virtual attribute to
identify each tuple in the relation uniquely.

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