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Entity Integrity
Entity integrity is concerned with ensuring that each row of a table has a unique and non-null primary key value; this is the same as saying that each row in a table represents a single instance of the entity type modelled by the table. A requirement of E. F. Codd in his seminal paper is that a primary key of an entity, or any part of it, can never take a null value. The relational model states that every relation (or table) must have an identifier, called the primary key (abbreviated PK), in such a way that every row of the same relation be identifiable by its content, that is, by a unique and minimal value. The PK is a not empty set of attributes (or columns). The same format applies to the foreign key (abbreviated FK) because each FK matches a preexistent PK. Each of attributes being part of a PK (or of a FK) must have data values (such as numbers, letters or typographic symbols) but not data marks (also known as NULL marks in SQL world). Morphologically, a composite primary ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Relation (database)
In database theory, a relation, as originally defined by E. F. Codd, is a set of tuples (d1,d2,...,dn), where each element dj is a member of Dj, a data domain. Codd's original definition notwithstanding, and contrary to the usual definition in mathematics, there is no ordering to the elements of the tuples of a relation. Instead, each element is termed an attribute value. An attribute is a name paired with a domain (nowadays more commonly referred to as a type or data type). An attribute value is an attribute name paired with an element of that attribute's domain, and a tuple is a ''set'' of attribute values in which no two distinct elements have the same name. Thus, in some accounts, a tuple is described as a function, mapping names to values. A set of attributes in which no two distinct elements have the same name is called a heading. It follows from the above definitions that to every tuple there corresponds a unique heading, being the set of names from the tuple, paired wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Table (database)
In a database, a table is a collection of related data organized in Table (information), table format; consisting of Column (database), columns and row (database), rows. In relational databases, and flat file databases, a ''table'' is a set of data elements (values) using a model of vertical column (database), columns (identifiable by name) and horizontal row (database), rows, the cell (database), cell being the unit where a row and column intersect. A table has a specified number of columns, but can have any number of rows. Each row is identified by one or more values appearing in a particular column subset. A specific choice of columns which uniquely identify rows is called the primary key. "Table" is another term for relation (database), "relation"; although there is the difference in that a table is usually a multiset (bag) of rows where a relation is a set (computer science), set and does not allow duplicates. Besides the actual data rows, tables generally have associated wit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Primary Key
In the relational model of databases, a primary key is a designated attribute (column) that can reliably identify and distinguish between each individual record in a table. The database creator can choose an existing unique attribute or combination of attributes from the table (a natural key) to act as its primary key, or create a new attribute containing a unique ID that exists solely for this purpose (a surrogate key). Examples of natural keys that could be suitable primary keys include data that is already by definition unique to all items in the table such as a national identification number attribute for person records, or the combination of a very precise timestamp attribute with a very precise location attribute for event records. More formally, a primary key is a specific choice of a minimal set of attributes that uniquely specify a tuple ( row) in a relation (table). A primary key is a choice of a candidate key (a minimal superkey); any other candidate key is an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Row (database)
In a relational database, a row or " record" or " tuple", represents a single, implicitly structured data Data ( , ) are a collection of discrete or continuous values that convey information, describing the quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpreted for ... item in a table. A database table can be thought of as consisting of rows and columns. Cory Janssen, Techopedia, retrieved 27 June 2014 Each row in a table represents a set of related data, and every row in the table has the same structure. For example, in a table that represents companies, each row might represent a single company. Columns might represent things like company name, address, etc. In a table that represents ''the association'' of empl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Attribute (computing)
In computing, an attribute is a specification that defines a property of an object, element, or file. It may also refer to or set the specific value for a given instance of such. For clarity, attributes should more correctly be considered metadata. An attribute is frequently and generally a property of a property. However, in actual usage, the term attribute can and is often treated as equivalent to a property depending on the technology being discussed. An attribute of an object usually consists of a name and a value. For an element these can be a type and class name, while for a file these can be a name and an extension, respectively. Rules and typing * Rules: Each named attribute has an associated set of rules called operations: For example, one doesn't sum characters or manipulate and process an integer array the same way as an image object. Neither does one process text as if it was type of floating point ( decimal numbers). * Data types: It follows that an object d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. The term ''column'' applies especially to a large round support (the shaft of the column) with a capital and a base or pedestal, which is made of stone, or appearing to be so. A small wooden or metal support is typically called a '' post''. Supports with a rectangular or other non-round section are usually called '' piers''. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces. Other compression members are often termed "columns" because of the similar stress conditions. Columns are frequently used to support beams or arches on which the upper parts of walls or ceilings rest. In architecture, "column" refers to such a structural element that also has certain proportional and decorative f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Foreign Key
A foreign key is a set of attributes in a table that refers to the primary key of another table, linking these two tables. In the context of relational databases, a foreign key is subject to an inclusion dependency constraint that the tuples consisting of the foreign key attributes in one relation, R, must also exist in some other (not necessarily distinct) relation, S; furthermore that those attributes must also be a candidate key in S. In other words, a foreign key is a set of attributes that a candidate key. For example, a table called TEAM may have an attribute, MEMBER_NAME, which is a foreign key referencing a candidate key, PERSON_NAME, in the PERSON table. Since MEMBER_NAME is a foreign key, any value existing as the name of a member in TEAM must also exist as a person's name in the PERSON table; in other words, every member of a TEAM is also a PERSON. Summary The table containing the foreign key is called the child table, and the table containing the candidate ke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Data Marks
Data ( , ) are a collection of discrete or continuous values that convey information, describing the quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpreted formally. A datum is an individual value in a collection of data. Data are usually organized into structures such as tables that provide additional context and meaning, and may themselves be used as data in larger structures. Data may be used as variables in a computational process. Data may represent abstract ideas or concrete measurements. Data are commonly used in scientific research, economics, and virtually every other form of human organizational activity. Examples of data sets include price indices (such as the consumer price index), unemployment rates, literacy rates, and census data. In this context, data represent the raw facts and figures from which useful information can be extracted. Data are collected using techniques such as m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
