A primary key in a relational database management system (RDBMS) is a column or set of columns that uniquely identifies each row in a table. A primary key is essential for the operations of an RDBMS, and it has many benefits, including :
- Identifying unique data: A primary key ensures that each row in a table has a unique value.
- Preventing duplicate records: A primary key prevents duplicate records from being entered into a table.
- Setting up relationships between tables: A primary key can be used to implement relationships between tables in a database.
- Ensuring fields aren't null: A primary key ensures that fields in a table aren't left empty.
- Updating or deleting specific records: A primary key can be used to update or delete specific records in a table.
- Ensuring row-level accessibility: A primary key ensures that each row in a table is accessible.