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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<page xmlns="http://projectmallard.org/1.0/" type="topic" id="declared-fk" xml:lang="sl">
<info>
<title type="sort">1</title>
<link type="topic" xref="schema-browser-perspective"/>
</info>
<title>Declared foreign keys</title>
<p>
All the foreign key constraints (where the contents of one or more columns in a table
is constrained to be among the values of one or more columns of another table) are
analysed and reported in the <link xref="schema-browser-perspective">Schema Browser perspective</link>.
Foreign key constraints help understand the database schema and is automatically used where appropriate
by the application.
</p>
<p>
However sometimes the designer of a database has forgotten or did not whish to use foreign
key constraints, and so it is possible to "declare foreign keys" which are only declaration to
the tool and not actually defined in the database.
</p>
<figure>
<title>Declared foreign keys in diagrams</title>
<desc>When displayed in diagrams, declared foreign keys are represented using a dashed line instead of a
solid line for actual foreign keys</desc>
<media type="image" mime="image/png" src="figures/declaredfk.png"/>
</figure>
<p>Opombe:</p>
<list>
<item><p>the (foreign key name, table, referenced table) triplet uniquely identifies a declared
foreign key and thus declaring a new foreign key with the same triplet will remove any previously
declared one.</p></item>
<item><p>If the same constraint is actually represented by a real foreign key and also
by a declared foreign key, then the real foreign key definition will mask the
declared one</p></item>
<item><p>Declared foreign key don't have any policy to determine what action to perform on
UPDATE or DELETE situations, so the reported policy will always be "not enforced"</p></item>
</list>
<section id="declare-new-fk">
<title>Declaring a new foreign key</title>
<p>
A new foreign key can be declared from the
<link xref="schema-browser-perspective">Schema Browser perspective</link> using the
<guiseq><gui>Table</gui><gui>Declare foreign key</gui></guiseq> menu which is present when
a table's properties are shown in the current tab.
</p>
<p>
Another way of declaring a foreign key is using the contextual menu on a table in a diagram, and
selecting the <guiseq><gui>Declare foreign key for this table</gui></guiseq> option.
</p>
<p>
In any way, to declare a new foreign key, the following information must be provided:
</p>
<list>
<item><p>A foreign key name</p></item>
<item><p>The referenced table</p></item>
<item><p>Columns and referenced columns for each column involved in the foreign key</p></item>
</list>
<figure>
<title>Information to declare a new foreign key</title>
<desc>UI dialog poping up to declare a new foreign key. Here the referenced table is 'warehouses', and
the involved columns are 'country' and 'city'.</desc>
<media type="image" mime="image/png" src="figures/declaredfk-dialog.png"/>
</figure>
</section>
<section id="remove-fk">
<title>Remove a declared foreign key</title>
<p>
A declared foreign key can be removed by clicking on the <guiseq><gui>(Remove)</gui></guiseq> link
displayed below each declared foreign key properties in the table's properties (in the
<link xref="schema-browser-perspective">Schema Browser perspective</link>).
</p>
<p>
Another way to remove a declared foreign key is in a <link xref="diagram">diagram</link> page through
the contextual menu associated with the dashed line representing the declared foreign key, selecting
the <guiseq><gui>Remove this declared foreign key</gui></guiseq> option.
</p>
</section>
</page>
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