What term describes a field that uniquely identifies each record in a table?

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Multiple Choice

What term describes a field that uniquely identifies each record in a table?

A primary key uniquely identifies each record in a table. It is the field (or combination of fields) chosen to be the definitive reference for every row, ensuring that no two rows share the same value and that nulls are not allowed. This unique, non-null identifier is what you use to relate records across tables via foreign keys and to perform reliable lookups efficiently through indexing. Foreign keys, on the other hand, link a value in one table to the primary key of another table, establishing relationships rather than identifying the row itself. An index speeds up searches but isn’t required to be unique or to serve as the row’s identifying reference. A unique constraint enforces uniqueness for the values in a column (or set of columns) but doesn’t necessarily designate the one primary way to identify each row or support relationships in the same central way as a primary key.

A primary key uniquely identifies each record in a table. It is the field (or combination of fields) chosen to be the definitive reference for every row, ensuring that no two rows share the same value and that nulls are not allowed. This unique, non-null identifier is what you use to relate records across tables via foreign keys and to perform reliable lookups efficiently through indexing.

Foreign keys, on the other hand, link a value in one table to the primary key of another table, establishing relationships rather than identifying the row itself. An index speeds up searches but isn’t required to be unique or to serve as the row’s identifying reference. A unique constraint enforces uniqueness for the values in a column (or set of columns) but doesn’t necessarily designate the one primary way to identify each row or support relationships in the same central way as a primary key.

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