Explain the terms primary key, candidate key, alternate key, Database Management System

Assignment Help:

Explain the terms primary key, candidate key, alternate key and secondary key. In the given table identify every key?

STUDENT(SID,Regno, Name, City)

Primary Key: The primary key of a relational table uniquely identify every record in the table. It can either be a general attribute (or set of attributes) which is guaranteed to be unique (such as Social Security Number in a table along with no more than one record per person) or it could be provided through the DBMS (such as a globally unique identifier, or GUID, in Microsoft SQL Server).

Candidate Key: A candidate key is a combination of attributes in which can be uniquely used to recognize a database record without any extraneous data. Each table may have one or more candidate keys. One of these candidate keys is chosen as the table primary key.

Alternate Key: An alternate key (or secondary key) is any candidate key that is not selected to be the primary key (PK).

For instance, a relational database along with a table "employee" could have attributes like

"employee_id", "bank_acct_no", and so on. In this case, both "employee_id" and
"bank_acct_no" serve as unique identifiers for a given employee, and could therefore arguably be used for a primary key. Therefore, both of them are known as "candidate keys". If, for example, "bank_acct_no" was chosen as the primary key, "employee_id" would become the alternate key

Secondary Key: Same as above

In above table SID is a primary key, SID and Regno are candidate keys and SIDor Regno are alternate or secondary key.


Related Discussions:- Explain the terms primary key, candidate key, alternate key

Give detail description on transactions, Give detail description on Transac...

Give detail description on Transactions. - Using transactions we can group all SQL commands into a single unit. - Transaction begins with some task and finishes only when a

What is bcnf boyce-codd normal form, BCNF Boyce-Codd Normal Form A rel...

BCNF Boyce-Codd Normal Form A relation schema R is in BCNF if it is in 3NF and accepts an additional constraint that for every FD X A, X has to be a candidate key. If a relati

What is a records management consultation, What is a records management con...

What is a records management consultation? Our organization is an authority for disseminating your specific requirements and giving you with a solution to effectively manage yo

Explain the advantages of dbms over file oriented system, Explain the main ...

Explain the main advantages of DBMS over File Oriented System ?

Having clause-data manipulation language, Having clause This clause...

Having clause This clause is used for producing conditions on grouped information. Example: Find maximum salary and department number of those departments where maxim

Advantages of database systems, Problem 1. Describe the following a)...

Problem 1. Describe the following a) Advantages of Database Systems b) Functions of a DBMS Explanation of part (a) and (b) 2. Explain the following concepts w

Conversion of er diagram to relational database, Conversion of entity sets:...

Conversion of entity sets: I)   For  every  strong  entity  type  E  in  the  ER  diagram,  we  make  a  relation  R containing all the easy attributes of E. The relation R pri

Database Management System, Assume that you are responsible for selecting a...

Assume that you are responsible for selecting a new DBMS product for Sohar Hospital

What is gathering information and producing erd, What is Gathering informat...

What is Gathering information and Producing ERD Gathering information: This could be a written document that explains the system in question with reasonable quantity of detai

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd