Domain
In data modeling, the construct used to organize and describe an attribute’s set of possible values.
Key
One or more attributes that determine other attributes.
What are the types of keys?
Primary key
In the relational model, an identifier composed of one or more attributes that uniquely identifies a row. Also, a candidate key selected as a unique entity identifier.
Determination
Functional dependence
Determinant
Any attribute in a specific row whose value directly determines other values in that row
Dependent
An attribute whose value is determined by another attribute
Full functional dependence
A condition in which an attribute is functionally dependent on a composite key but not on any subset of the key.
Composite key
A multiple-attribute key
Key attributes
The attributes that form a primary key
Superkey
An attribute or attributes that uniquely identify each entity in a table.
Candidate key
A minimal superkey; that is, a key that does not contain a subset of attributes that is itself a superkey.
Entity integrity
The property of a relational table that guarantees each entity has a unique value in a primary key and that the key has no null values.
Null
The absence of an attribute value. Note that a null is not a blank.
Foreign key (FK)
An attribute or attributes in one table whose values must match the primary key in another table or whose values must be null.
Referential integrity
A condition by which a dependent table’s foreign key must have either a null entry or a matching entry in the related table.
Secondary key
What are the 3 types of referential integrity rules?
Flags
Composite entity
An entity designed to transform an M:N relationship into two 1:M relationships. The composite entity’s primary key comprises at least the primary keys of the entities that it connects.
What are the other names that refer to the definition of “composite entity”?
- Associative entity
Linking table
Index
An ordered array of index key values and row ID values (pointers). Indexes are generally used to speed up and facilitate data retrieval.