"Not Enforced" Table Constraints

A constraint that is not enforced is not really a constraint within the meaning of the act, but SQL does have such a concept and it needs to be mentioned here. With the exception of UNIQUE and PRIMARY KEY specifications, a table constraint can be declared as either ENFORCED (the default option) or NOT ENFORCED. The "enforcement characteristic" of such a constraint can be changed by means of an ALTER TABLE statement. For example, the table constraint MAX_ENROLMENTS becomes not enforced by execution of the statement ALTER TABLE ALTER CONSTRAINT MAX_ENROLMENTS NOT ENFORCED. The immediate effect is the same (ignoring effects on the catalog) as if ALTER TABLE DROP CONSTRAINT MAX_ENROLMENTS had been given. However, it's easier to reinstate the constraint using ALTER TABLE ALTER CONSTRAINT MAX_ENROLMENTS ENFORCED. NOT ENFORCED cannot be specified for domain constraints or assertions, so use of CREATE ASSERTION should really be the preferred method of declaring a constraint, but unfortunately that option is not widely available.