Constraints in SQL

Constraints in SQL means we are applying certain conditions or restrictions on the database.
This further means that before inserting data into the database, we are checking for some
conditions. If the condition we have applied to the database holds true for the data which is to be
inserted, then only the data will be inserted into the database tables.

Constraints in SQL can be categorized into two types:

1. Column Level Constraint:

Column Level Constraint is used to apply a constraint on a single column.
2. Table Level Constraint:
Table Level Constraint is used to apply a constraint on multiple columns.

Constraints available in SQL are:

1. NOT NULL
2. UNIQUE
3. PRIMARY KEY
4. FOREIGN KEY
5. CHECK
6. DEFAULT
7. CREATE INDEX

1. NOT NULL

 NULL means empty, i.e., the value is not available.

 Whenever a table's column is declared as NOT NULL, then the value for that column
cannot be empty for any of the table's records.
 There must exist a value in the column to which the NOT NULL constraint is applied.

NOTE: NULL does not mean zero. NULL means empty column, not even zero.

Syntax to apply the NOT NULL constraint during table creation:

1.

CREATE TABLE TableName (ColumnName1 datatype NOT NULL, ColumnName2 dat

atype,…., ColumnNameN datatype);

Example:

Create a student table and apply a NOT NULL constraint on one of the table's column while
creating a table.
 Ans:CREATE TABLE student(StudentID INT NOT NULL, Student_FirstName VARCHAR(20
), Student_LastName VARCHAR(20), Student_PhoneNumber VARCHAR(20), Student_
Email_ID VARCHAR(40));

To verify that the not null constraint is applied to the table's column and the student table is
created successfully, we will execute the following query:

1. mysql> DESC student;

2. UNIQUE

 Duplicate values are not allowed in the columns to which the UNIQUE constraint is
applied.
 The column with the unique constraint will always contain a unique value.
 This constraint can be applied to one or more than one column of a table, which means
more than one unique constraint can exist on a single table.
 Using the UNIQUE constraint, you can also modify the already created tables.

Syntax to apply the UNIQUE constraint on a single column:

1.

CREATE TABLE TableName (ColumnName1 datatype UNIQUE, ColumnName2 dataty

pe,…., ColumnNameN datatype);

Example:
Create a student table and apply a UNIQUE constraint on one of the table's column while
creating a table.

1.

mysql> CREATE TABLE student(StudentID INT UNIQUE, Student_FirstName VARC

HAR(20), Student_LastName VARCHAR(20), Student_PhoneNumber VARCHAR(20),
Student_Email_ID VARCHAR(40));

To verify that the unique constraint is applied to the table's column and the student table is
created successfully, we will execute the following query:

1. mysql> DESC student;

Syntax to apply the UNIQUE constraint on more than one column:

1.

CREATE TABLE TableName (ColumnName1 datatype, ColumnName2 datatype,…., C

olumnNameN datatype, UNIQUE (ColumnName1, ColumnName 2));

Example:
Create a student table and apply a UNIQUE constraint on more than one table's column while
creating a table.

1.

mysql> CREATE TABLE student(StudentID INT, Student_FirstName VARCHAR(20),

Student_LastName VARCHAR(20), Student_PhoneNumber VARCHAR(20), Student_E
mail_ID VARCHAR(40), UNIQUE(StudentID, Student_PhoneNumber));

To verify that the unique constraint is applied to more than one table's column and the student
table is created successfully, we will execute the following query:

1. mysql> DESC student;

Syntax to apply the UNIQUE constraint on an existing table's column:

1. ALTER TABLE TableName ADD UNIQUE (ColumnName);

Example:

Consider we have an existing table student, without any constraints applied to it. Later, we
decided to apply a UNIQUE constraint to one of the table's column. Then we will execute the
following query:

1. mysql> ALTER TABLE student ADD UNIQUE (StudentID);

To verify that the unique constraint is applied to the table's column and the student table is
created successfully, we will execute the following query:

1. mysql> DESC student;

3. PRIMARY KEY

 PRIMARY KEY Constraint is a combination of NOT NULL and Unique constraints.

 NOT NULL constraint and a UNIQUE constraint together forms a PRIMARY constraint.
 The column to which we have applied the primary constraint will always contain a
unique value and will not allow null values.

Syntax of primary key constraint during table creation:

1.

CREATE TABLE TableName (ColumnName1 datatype PRIMARY KEY, ColumnName

2 datatype,…., ColumnNameN datatype);

Example:

Create a student table and apply the PRIMARY KEY constraint while creating a table.

1.

mysql> CREATE TABLE student(StudentID INT PRIMARY KEY, Student_FirstName

 VARCHAR(20), Student_LastName VARCHAR(20), Student_PhoneNumber VARCHA
R(20), Student_Email_ID VARCHAR(40));

To verify that the primary key constraint is applied to the table's column and the student table is
created successfully, we will execute the following query:

1. mysql> DESC student;

Syntax to apply the primary key constraint on an existing table's column:

1. ALTER TABLE TableName ADD PRIMARY KEY (ColumnName);

Example:

Consider we have an existing table student, without any constraints applied to it. Later, we
decided to apply the PRIMARY KEY constraint to the table's column. Then we will execute the
following query:

1. mysql> ALTER TABLE student ADD PRIMARY KEY (StudentID);

To verify that the primary key constraint is applied to the student table's column, we will execute
the following query:

1. mysql> DESC student;

4. FOREIGN KEY

 A foreign key is used for referential integrity.

 When we have two tables, and one table takes reference from another table, i.e., the same
column is present in both the tables and that column acts as a primary key in one table.
That particular column will act as a foreign key in another table.

Syntax to apply a foreign key constraint during table creation:

1.

CREATE TABLE tablename(ColumnName1 Datatype(SIZE) PRIMARY KEY, Column

NameN Datatype(SIZE), FOREIGN KEY( ColumnName ) REFERENCES PARENT_T
ABLE_NAME(Primary_Key_ColumnName));

Example:

Create an employee table and apply the FOREIGN KEY constraint while creating a table.

To create a foreign key on any table, first, we need to create a primary key on a table.

1.

mysql> CREATE TABLE employee (Emp_ID INT NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY, Emp_
Name VARCHAR (40), Emp_Salary VARCHAR (40));
To verify that the primary key constraint is applied to the employee table's column, we will
execute the following query:

1. mysql> DESC employee;

Now, we will write a query to apply a foreign key on the department table referring to the
primary key of the employee table, i.e., Emp_ID.

1.

mysql> CREATE TABLE department(Dept_ID INT NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY, Dept
_Name VARCHAR(40), Emp_ID INT NOT NULL, FOREIGN KEY(Emp_ID) REFERE
NCES employee(Emp_ID));

To verify that the foreign key constraint is applied to the department table's column, we will
execute the following query:

1. mysql> DESC department;

Syntax to apply the foreign key constraint with constraint name:

1.

CREATE TABLE tablename(ColumnName1 Datatype PRIMARY KEY, ColumnNameN

Datatype(SIZE), CONSTRAINT ConstraintName FOREIGN KEY( ColumnName ) RE
FERENCES PARENT_TABLE_NAME(Primary_Key_ColumnName));

Example:

Create an employee table and apply the FOREIGN KEY constraint with a constraint name while
creating a table.

To create a foreign key on any table, first, we need to create a primary key on a table.

1.

mysql> CREATE TABLE employee (Emp_ID INT NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY, Emp_
Name VARCHAR (40), Emp_Salary VARCHAR (40));

To verify that the primary key constraint is applied to the student table's column, we will execute
the following query:

1. mysql> DESC employee;

Now, we will write a query to apply a foreign key with a constraint name on the department table
referring to the primary key of the employee table, i.e., Emp_ID.

1.

mysql> CREATE TABLE department(Dept_ID INT NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY, Dept
_Name VARCHAR(40), Emp_ID INT NOT NULL, CONSTRAINT emp_id_fk FOREI
GN KEY(Emp_ID) REFERENCES employee(Emp_ID));

To verify that the foreign key constraint is applied to the department table's column, we will
execute the following query:

1. mysql> DESC department;

Syntax to apply the foreign key constraint on an existing table's column:

 1.

ALTER TABLE Parent_TableName ADD FOREIGN KEY (ColumnName) REFERENC

ES Child_TableName (ColumnName);

Example:

Consider we have an existing table employee and department. Later, we decided to apply a
FOREIGN KEY constraint to the department table's column. Then we will execute the following
query:

1. mysql> DESC employee;

1.

mysql> ALTER TABLE department ADD FOREIGN KEY (Emp_ID) REFERENCES e

mployee (Emp_ID);

To verify that the foreign key constraint is applied to the department table's column, we will
execute the following query:

1. mysql> DESC department;

5. CHECK

 Whenever a check constraint is applied to the table's column, and the user wants to insert
the value in it, then the value will first be checked for certain conditions before inserting
the value into that column.
 For example: if we have an age column in a table, then the user will insert any value of
his choice. The user will also enter even a negative value or any other invalid value. But,
if the user has applied check constraint on the age column with the condition age greater
than 18. Then in such cases, even if a user tries to insert an invalid value such as zero or
any other value less than 18, then the age column will not accept that value and will not
allow the user to insert it due to the application of check constraint on the age column.

Syntax to apply check constraint on a single column:

1.

CREATE TABLE TableName (ColumnName1 datatype CHECK (ColumnName1 Condit

ion), ColumnName2 datatype,…., ColumnNameN datatype);

Example:

Create a student table and apply CHECK constraint to check for the age less than or equal to 15
while creating a table.

1.

mysql> CREATE TABLE student(StudentID INT, Student_FirstName VARCHAR(20),

Student_LastName VARCHAR(20), Student_PhoneNumber VARCHAR(20), Student_E
mail_ID VARCHAR(40), Age INT CHECK( Age <= 15));
To verify that the check constraint is applied to the student table's column, we will execute the
following query:

1. mysql> DESC student;

Syntax to apply check constraint on multiple columns:

1.

CREATE TABLE TableName (ColumnName1 datatype, ColumnName2 datatype CHEC

K (ColumnName1 Condition AND ColumnName2 Condition),…., ColumnNameN datat
ype);

Example:

Create a student table and apply CHECK constraint to check for the age less than or equal to 15
and a percentage greater than 85 while creating a table.

1.

mysql> CREATE TABLE student(StudentID INT, Student_FirstName VARCHAR(20),

Student_LastName VARCHAR(20), Student_PhoneNumber VARCHAR(20), Student_E
mail_ID VARCHAR(40), Age INT, Percentage INT, CHECK( Age <= 15 AND Percenta
ge > 85));
To verify that the check constraint is applied to the age and percentage column, we will execute
the following query:

1. mysql> DESC student;

Syntax to apply check constraint on an existing table's column:

1. ALTER TABLE TableName ADD CHECK (ColumnName Condition);

Example:

Consider we have an existing table student. Later, we decided to apply the CHECK constraint on
the student table's column. Then we will execute the following query:

1. mysql> ALTER TABLE student ADD CHECK ( Age <=15 );

To verify that the check constraint is applied to the student table's column, we will execute the
following query:

1. mysql> DESC student;

6. DEFAULT

Whenever a default constraint is applied to the table's column, and the user has not specified the
value to be inserted in it, then the default value which was specified while applying the default
constraint will be inserted into that particular column.

Syntax to apply default constraint during table creation:

1.

CREATE TABLE TableName (ColumnName1 datatype DEFAULT Value, ColumnNam

e2 datatype,…., ColumnNameN datatype);

Example:

Create a student table and apply the default constraint while creating a table.

1.

mysql> CREATE TABLE student(StudentID INT, Student_FirstName VARCHAR(20),

Student_LastName VARCHAR(20), Student_PhoneNumber VARCHAR(20), Student_E
mail_ID VARCHAR(40) DEFAULT "[email protected]");
To verify that the default constraint is applied to the student table's column, we will execute the
following query:

1. mysql> DESC student;

Syntax to apply default constraint on an existing table's column:

1. ALTER TABLE TableName ALTER ColumnName SET DEFAULT Value;

Example:

Consider we have an existing table student. Later, we decided to apply the DEFAULT constraint
on the student table's column. Then we will execute the following query:

1.

mysql> ALTER TABLE student ALTER Student_Email_ID SET DEFAULT "anuja.k8

@gmail.com";

To verify that the default constraint is applied to the student table's column, we will execute the
following query:
 1. mysql> DESC student;

7. CREATE INDEX

CREATE INDEX constraint is used to create an index on the table. Indexes are not visible to the
user, but they help the user to speed up the searching speed or retrieval of data from the
database.

Syntax to create an index on single column:

1. CREATE INDEX IndexName ON TableName (ColumnName 1);

Example:

Create an index on the student table and apply the default constraint while creating a table.

1. mysql> CREATE INDEX idx_StudentID ON student (StudentID);

To verify that the create index constraint is applied to the student table's column, we will execute
the following query:

1. mysql> DESC student;

Syntax to create an index on multiple columns:

1.

CREATE INDEX IndexName ON TableName (ColumnName 1, ColumnName 2, Colum

nName N);

Example:

1.

mysql> CREATE INDEX idx_Student ON student (StudentID, Student_PhoneNumber);

To verify that the create index constraint is applied to the student table's column, we will execute
the following query:

1. mysql> DESC student;

Syntax to create an index on an existing table:

1. ALTER TABLE TableName ADD INDEX (ColumnName);

Consider we have an existing table student. Later, we decided to apply the DEFAULT constraint
on the student table's column. Then we will execute the following query:

1. mysql> ALTER TABLE student ADD INDEX (StudentID);

To verify that the create index constraint is applied to the student table's column, we will execute
the following query:

1. mysql> DESC student;