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Let’s briefly review the most important terms.Ī relation is the theoretical name for a database table.
Super key in dbms how to#
Plus, we’ll show you how to verify if a set of attributes is a candidate key.īefore you read about candidate keys, make sure you are familiar with the basic normalization terminology. In this article, we’ll explain the concept of candidate keys in simple terms. This knowledge will help you remember the rules for the most common normal forms. Understanding candidate keys is important for understanding the normal forms in database tables. The common problems you’ll face when learning about candidate keys are verifying if a given set of attributes is a candidate key and finding all candidate keys for a relation. The concept of the candidate key is taught in all university database courses as part of database normalization theory. Every database designer should be aware of how to identify candidate keys and how to choose the right one for their table. It is the theoretical foundation for technical concepts like primary and alternate (unique) keys.
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The candidate key, also simply called a key, is an important part of database design. Read on to find out what a candidate key is and how to check if a set of attributes is a candidate key. A candidate key is an important concept in database normalization.
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