Implementing

Data Integrity

Vu Tuyet Trinh
[email protected]
Hanoi University of Technology

1
 Data Integrity

 Defining the quality of the data in the database.

 Types:
Domain Integrity
(columns)

Entity Integrity (rows)

User-defined
integrity

Referential
Integrity
(between tables)
Microsoft
 Enforcing Data Integrity

 Declarative data integrity

 Defined in object definitions
 Enforced automatically SQL Server by using constraints,
defaults, and rules

 Procedural data integrity

 Defined in script
 Enforced by executing scripts, triggers and stored procedures

Microsoft
 Outline

 Data Integrity
 Enforcing Data Integrity
 Types of Constraints
 Defining Constraints
 Disabling Constraints
 Using Defaults and Rules
 Deciding enforcement method to use

Microsoft
 Types of Constraints

 PRIMARY KEY constraints

 UNIQUE constraints
 FOREIGN KEY constraints
 CHECK constraints
 DEFAULT constraints
 Cascading referential integrity

Microsoft
 PRIMARY KEY Constraints

 Only one PRIMARY KEY constraint per table

 Unique values
 Not allowed NULL values
 Enforced with unique index

USE
USE Northwind
Northwind
ALTER
ALTER TABLE
TABLE dbo.Customers
dbo.Customers
ADD
ADD CONSTRAINT
CONSTRAINT PK_Customers
PK_Customers
PRIMARY
PRIMARY KEY
KEY NONCLUSTERED
NONCLUSTERED (CustomerID)
(CustomerID)

Microsoft
 UNIQUE Constraints

 Defined with one or more columns

 Allowing one null value
 Allowing multiple UNIQUE constraints on a table
 Enforced with a unique Index

USE
USE Northwind
Northwind
ALTER
ALTER TABLE
TABLE dbo.Suppliers
dbo.Suppliers
ADD
ADD CONSTRAINT
CONSTRAINT U_CompanyName
U_CompanyName
UNIQUE
UNIQUE NONCLUSTERED
NONCLUSTERED (CompanyName)
(CompanyName)

Microsoft
 FOREIGN KEY Constraints

 Single or multi-column referential integrity

 Must reference a PRIMARY KEY or UNIQUE constraint
 Must have SELECT or REFERENCES permissions on
referenced tables
 Use only REFERENCES clause within same table

USE
USE Northwind
Northwind
ALTER
ALTER TABLE
TABLE dbo.Orders
dbo.Orders
ADD
ADD CONSTRAINT
CONSTRAINT FK_Orders_Customers
FK_Orders_Customers
FOREIGN
FOREIGN KEY
KEY (CustomerID)
(CustomerID)
REFERENCES
REFERENCES dbo.Customers(CustomerID)
dbo.Customers(CustomerID)

Microsoft
 CHECK Constraints

 Used with INSERT or UPDATE Statements

 Defined on one or more column(s) in the same table
 Cannot
 Be used with the rowversion data type
 Contain subqueries

USE
USE Northwind
Northwind
ALTER
ALTER TABLE
TABLE dbo.Employees
dbo.Employees
ADD
ADD CONSTRAINT
CONSTRAINT CK_birthdate
CK_birthdate
CHECK
CHECK (BirthDate
(BirthDate >> '01-01-1900'
'01-01-1900' AND
AND BirthDate
BirthDate <getdate())
<getdate())

Microsoft
 DEFAULT Constraints
 Applied for INSERT statements
 Only one DEFAULT constraint per column
 Cannot be used with IDENTITY property
or rowversion data type
 Allowing some system-supplied values

USE
USE Northwind
Northwind
ALTER
ALTER TABLE
TABLE dbo.Customers
dbo.Customers
ADD
ADD CONSTRAINT
CONSTRAINT DF_contactname
DF_contactname
DEFAULT
DEFAULT 'UNKNOWN'
'UNKNOWN'
FOR
FOR ContactName
ContactName

Microsoft
 Cascading referential integrity

 Defined for DETELE or UPDATE a key to which existing

foreign keys point


[ON DELETE {NO ACTION|CASCADE|SET NULL|SET DEFAULT}]

[ON UPDATE {NO ACTION|CASCADE|SET NULL|SET DEFAULT}]

Microsoft
 Considerations for using constraints

 Can be changed without recreating a table

 Require error-checking in applications and transactions
 Verify existing data?
 If not case, disabling constraints

Microsoft
 Disabling Constraints

 Disabling constraint checking on existing data

 Using WITH NOCHECK option when adding a new constraint
 Applied to CHECK and FOREIGN KEY constraints

USE
USE Northwind
Northwind
ALTER
ALTER TABLE
TABLE dbo.Employees
dbo.Employees
WITH
WITH NOCHECK
NOCHECK
ADD
ADD CONSTRAINT
CONSTRAINT FK_Employees_Employees
FK_Employees_Employees
FOREIGN
FOREIGN KEY
KEY (ReportsTo)
(ReportsTo)
REFERENCES
REFERENCES dbo.Employees(EmployeeID)
dbo.Employees(EmployeeID)

Microsoft
 Disabling Constraints

 Disabling constraint checking when loading new data

 Using NOCHECK option before loading new data
 Applied to CHECK and FOREIGN KEY Constraints

USE
USE Northwind
Northwind
ALTER
ALTER TABLE
TABLE dbo.Employees
dbo.Employees
NOCHECK
NOCHECK
CONSTRAINT
CONSTRAINT FK_Employees_Employees
FK_Employees_Employees

Microsoft
 Default Constraints

 Defined as independent objects

 Bound to one or more columns or user-defined data
types
CREATE
CREATE DEFAULT
DEFAULT [schema_name.]
[schema_name.] default_name
default_name AS
AS
constant_expression
constant_expression [[ ;; ]]

EXEC
EXEC sp_bindefault
sp_bindefault <default_name>,
<default_name>, <Object_name>
<Object_name>

CREATE
CREATE DEFAULT
DEFAULT phone_no_default
phone_no_default
AS
AS '(000)000-0000'
'(000)000-0000'
GO
GO
EXEC
EXEC sp_bindefault
sp_bindefault phone_no_default,
phone_no_default, 'Customers.Phone'
'Customers.Phone'
Microsoft
 Rule Constraints

CREATE
CREATE RULE
RULE [schema_name.]
[schema_name.] rule_name
rule_name
AS
AS <condition_expression>
<condition_expression>
GO
GO
EXEC
EXEC sp_bindrule
sp_bindrule regioncode_rule,'Customers.Region'
regioncode_rule,'Customers.Region'

CREATE
CREATE RULE
RULE regioncode_rule
regioncode_rule
AS
AS @regioncode
@regioncode IN
IN ('IA',
('IA', 'IL',
'IL', 'KS',
'KS', 'MO')
'MO')
GO
GO
EXEC
EXEC sp_bindrule
sp_bindrule regioncode_rule,'Customers.Region'
regioncode_rule,'Customers.Region'

Note: CREATE RULE may be not supported anymore

in next version of SQL Server
Microsoft
 Enforcement Method to Use
Data
Dataintegrity
integrity Functionality
Functionality Performance
Performance Before
Beforeor
orafter
after
components
components costs
costs modification
modification

Constraints
Constraints Medium
Medium Low
Low Before
Before

Defaults
Defaultsand
andrules
rules Low
Low Low
Low Before
Before

Triggers
Triggers High
High Medium-High
Medium-High After
After

Data
Datatypes,
types, Low
Low Low
Low Before
Before
Null/Not
Null/NotNull
Null

Microsoft
 Summary

 Data integrity as means for defining the correctness and

the completeness of data

 Enforcing data integrity as means for maintaining

complete and correct database

 Using data integrity, using enforcement method for data

integrity are important but … only when necessary

Microsoft
Microsoft
 Using Stored Procedure & Trigger

Microsoft