Rule Definition
A foreign key is an integral part of a relational database design and contributes to the database's consistency. The use of Foreign Keys between Tables must be applied to manage referential integrity only.
When one table has a foreign key to another table, the concept of referential integrity states that you may not add a record to the table that contains the foreign key unless there is a corresponding record in the linked table. It also includes the techniques known as cascading update and cascading delete, which ensure that changes made to the linked table are reflected in the primary table. This avoids redundant data entry and thus maintains data integrity.
Remediation
Add the Foreign Key if necessary. Using a foreign key ensures that the integrity of the data across tables is maintained.
Related Technologies
DB2 Server
PL/SQL
Microsoft T-SQL
Sybase T-SQL
DB2 z/OS
Technical Criterion
Programming Practices - Structuredness
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