referential integrity

computing

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Last updated

July 13, 2026

Quick Summary

Referential integrity is a concept in computing, specifically within database management systems (DBMS), that ensures the correctness and stability of data. It dictates that any entity referenced by another entity must exist within the database. For example, if a reservation is made for a specific flight number, that flight number must exist in the database. This prevents orphaned records and maintains the logical consistency of the data. Data integrity in general involves specifying data types for columns to ensure values are correct and stable, preventing errors like incorrect data formats or lengths.12

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computer science
Information management
…type of integrity, known as referential integrity, requires that each entity referenced by some other entity must itself exist in the database. For example, if an airline reservation is requested for a particular flight number, then the flight referenced by that number must actually exist.
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…type of integrity, known as referential integrity, requires that each entity referenced by some other entity must itself exist in the database. For example, if an airline reservation is requested for a particular flight number, then the flight referenced by that number must actually exist.
Read More