Re: Need for primary keys

Most of us believe strongly in maximum use of Declared Referential Integrity, so I think I would be joined by many in saying that your application is severly flawed and very probably contains trash data. However, some apps (a couple of our very own COTS systems here, actually) use Unique Indexes, but few declared Primary or Unique Keys. Unique Indexes are better than no uniqueness constraints whatsoever, but they don't support the necessary Foreign Key constraints on "child" tables.

Unless your management is more enlightened than most, you'll probably need to present a business case of the extra costs incurred from problems the unconstrained dirty data causes. You can't just say "Sixty percent of our tables have no Primary Keys." They'll just say "So what?" Help them understand the business-related problems caused by bad data. If you can relate it to extra labor to correct mistakes, lost sales, etc., then you'll get their attention.

Good luck!

Jack C. Applewhite - Database Administrator Austin (Texas) Independent School District 512.414.9715 (wk) / 512.935.5929 (pager)

 I'll just sit back in the shade while everyone gets laid.  That's what I call Intelligent Design. -- God ("Origin of Species": Chris Smither)

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Need for primary keys

I just started at a new company about 4 months ago and I noticed that about 4800 of the 7900 tables ( 60% ) do not have primary keys.

Is this a problem that I should bring to management or is it more based on the business/application needs?

Thanks

Brian Lock
DBA - East Campus
ex: 22341

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