Assignment No # 3

Submitted By: Muhammad khawar ijaz

Registration ID: S2023388016

Course: Database Management System

Course Instructor: Mam Ammarah Abdullah

Program: ADP (ITM)

Key Component of DBMS..

1. Primary Key

Definition: A Primary Key uniquely identifies each record in a table. It

cannot have NULL values.

Example:
Consider a Product table where each product is identified by a unique
ProductID:

Product ProductNa Pric

ID me e
101 Laptop 800
Mobile
102 500
Phone
Headphone
103 100
s

In this case, ProductID is the Primary Key because it uniquely identifies

each product and cannot be NULL.

2. Foreign Key

Definition: A Foreign Key in one table points to a Primary Key in another

table, creating a relationship between the two.

Example
Consider an Orders table that records orders placed by customers:

Order Custome Product OrderDa

ID rID ID te
2024-01-
1 1001 101
01
2024-01-
2 1002 102
02
2024-01-
3 1001 103
05

o CustomerID is a Foreign Key referring to the CustomerID in the Customers

table.
o ProductID is a Foreign Key referring to the ProductID in the Product table.

These foreign keys help establish relationships between the Orders table and
the Customers/Product tables.
3. Unique Key

Definition: A Unique Key ensures that all values in the column (or combination of
columns) are unique. It can accept NULL values.

Example:
Consider a Users table where each user has a unique Username, but
PhoneNumber can be optional:

UserI Usernam PhoneNu

D e mber
1 john_doe NULL
jane_smit 123-456-
2
h 7890
987-654-
3 bob_jones
3210

o Username is a Unique Key because it must be unique for each user, but it can
allow NULL values for cases where the user doesn't have a username.
o PhoneNumber is also a Unique Key (if enforced), ensuring that no two users have
the same phone number.

4. Candidate Key

Definition: A Candidate Key is any column or set of columns that can

uniquely identify a record in a table. There can be multiple candidate keys, but
only one will be chosen as the Primary Key.

Example:
Consider a Student table:

Student
Email Name
ID
[email protected]
1 Alice
m
2 [email protected] Bob
charlie@example. Charli
3
com e

o Both StudentID and Email can uniquely identify a student, so they are both
Candidate Keys.
 o StudentID may be chosen as the Primary Key, and Email will be an Alternate
Key.

5. Super Key

Definition: A Super Key is any set of columns that can uniquely identify
records in a table. It may include extra columns that are not necessary for
uniqueness.

Example:
Consider the same Student table:

Student
Email Name
ID
[email protected]
1 Alice
m
2 [email protected] Bob
charlie@example. Charli
3
com e

Here are some Super Keys:

o (StudentID) — This is a Candidate Key and thus a Super Key.

o (StudentID, Email) — This is a Super Key, though the extra column Email is
unnecessary.
o (StudentID, Name) — This is also a Super Key, though it includes unnecessary
extra columns.

6. Composite Key (Compound Key)

Definition: A Composite Key is a combination of two or more columns that

together can uniquely identify a record in a table.

Example:
Consider a Library system with a BookLoans table:

Student Book LoanDat

ID ID e
2024-01-
1 101
01
2 102 2024-01-
 Student Book LoanDat
ID ID e
02
2024-01-
1 103
05

Here, StudentID and BookID together form a Composite Key, ensuring that a
student cannot borrow the same book multiple times on the same day.
Individually, neither column would be unique.

7. Alternate Key

Definition: An Alternate Key is a candidate key that was not chosen as the
primary key.

Example:
Consider a Product table:

Product ProductNa SK
ID me U
A12
101 Laptop
3
Mobile B45
102
Phone 6
Headphone C78
103
s 9

o ProductID is chosen as the Primary Key.

o SKU is a Candidate Key (can uniquely identify products) but is not chosen as the
primary key, so it is an Alternate Key.

8. Null Key

Definition: A Null Key is a column that can accept NULL values, typically
used for optional information.

Example:
Consider an Employees table:
 Employe PhoneNu
Name
eID mber
123-456-
1 Alice
7890
2 Bob NULL
Charli
3 NULL
e

o PhoneNumber is a Null Key because it allows NULL values for employees who
don't have a phone number listed.

9. Secondary Key

Definition: A Secondary Key is a key used for indexing purposes, enabling

faster searches but not necessarily ensuring uniqueness.

Example:
Consider a Customers table:

Custome Customer
City
rID Name
1 Alice New York
Los
2 Bob
Angeles
3 Charlie Chicago

If you frequently search customers by their City, you might create an index on
the City column, making City a Secondary Key. This index would speed up
queries like "Find all customers in New York".