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Vol. I · No. 251
Mon · 8 Jun
A Daily Lexicon of Trustworthy Data
The Lexicon

022·07

referential integrity

/ˌrɛfəˈrɛnʃəl ɪnˈtɛɡrɪti/ - n.

1 [colloq.] The guarantee that every reference points somewhere real, enforced everywhere except the warehouse where it was switched off for performance.Keep. Punchy.This is the problem.

Working definition

2. The guarantee that every foreign key points to a row that actually exists in the referenced table.

Struck
See also
  • completeness checkA test confirming the rows that arrived are all there, while remaining serenely unaware of the rows that did not.
  • golden recordThe one true version of the customer, assembled from five wrong ones by a rule no one in the room can recite.