Fill the blanks with a word or set of words representing a concept. What are 2 of the mechanism that can be used to enforce referential integrity?

To enforce referential integrity in database management, two commonly used mechanisms are:

1. Foreign Keys: A foreign key is a column (or a set of columns) that establishes a link between the data in two tables. It enforces referential integrity by ensuring that the value in the foreign key column in the child table matches a value in the primary key column of the parent table. This relationship ensures that records are consistent and valid across the database.

2. Cascade Updates and Deletes: These are actions that can be specified when setting up foreign key relationships. A cascade update will automatically update the foreign key values in the child table when the corresponding primary key value in the parent table changes. Similarly, a cascade delete will automatically delete the records in the child table when the related record in the parent table is deleted. This helps maintain referential integrity by preventing orphaned records and ensuring that all related records are handled appropriately.

These mechanisms are fundamental in maintaining the accuracy and consistency of the database by enforcing the relationships between tables.