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Databases & SQL vocabulary · Keys and Constraints

Cascade

Meaning in databases & SQL, with examples

/kæˈskeɪd/verbCommon term

In databases & SQL, cascade means: Of a delete or update: to pass automatically from a parent row to all the child rows that point to it through a foreign key.

In Turkish: zincirleme uygulamak, kademeli olarak yansımak

How it is used

Set on a foreign key with ON DELETE CASCADE or ON UPDATE CASCADE. Other options are SET NULL, RESTRICT and NO ACTION. Cascading deletes are convenient but dangerous: one DELETE can silently remove thousands of related rows.

Example sentences

  1. Deleting a customer cascades to their addresses and payment methods.

  2. Be careful: the foreign key is set to cascade, so this will also delete all the invoices.

Common collocations

  • ON DELETE CASCADE
  • cascading delete
  • cascade to child rows
  • ON UPDATE CASCADE
  • foreign keyA column in one table that points to the primary key of another table, linking the two and stopping you from storing references to rows that do not exist.
  • referential integrityThe rule that every reference between tables must point to a row that really exists, so there are no orders for missing customers.
  • DELETE statementThe SQL statement that removes rows from a table. With a WHERE clause it removes only matching rows; without one it removes every row.
  • constraintA rule set on a table or column that the database enforces automatically, rejecting any data that would break it.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Keys and Constraints

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