Understanding the Difference Between Primary Key and Foreign Key in RDBMS

In a relational database management system (RDBMS), the primary key and foreign key play crucial roles in maintaining data integrity and defining relationships between tables.

Primary Key:

The primary key is a unique identifier for each record in a table. It ensures that each row in the table is distinct and helps in identifying and retrieving individual records efficiently. The primary key constraint enforces the uniqueness of values in the specified column or columns, and it is essential for data indexing and integrity.

Foreign Key:

A foreign key establishes a link between two tables in a relational database. It is a column or a set of columns in one table that references the primary key in another table. This relationship defines the dependencies between the tables and ensures data consistency and integrity across the database.

Focus Keyword: Difference Between Primary Key and Foreign Key

Overall, the key difference between a primary key and a foreign key lies in their roles within a database: the primary key uniquely identifies records within a table, while the foreign key establishes relationships between tables.

Understanding the distinction between these two key types is essential for designing effective database schemas and ensuring data accuracy and referential integrity in RDBMS.