Skip to main content
Log inGet a demo
← SQL Dictionary
Constraints

SQL PRIMARY KEY

What is SQL PRIMARY KEY?

A PRIMARY KEY constraint in SQL is a database constraint that enforces the uniqueness and ensures the integrity of data in a table. It uniquely identifies each record in a table and guarantees that no two rows can have the same values in the primary key column(s). The primary key constraint is used to establish a unique identifier for each row, making it a critical element in relational database design.

When you would use it

You would use a PRIMARY KEY constraint in SQL when you need to:

  1. Uniquely Identify Records: Ensure that each row in a table has a unique identifier, allowing efficient retrieval and management of individual records.

  2. Maintain Data Integrity: Prevent the entry of duplicate records, maintaining data accuracy and consistency.

  3. Establish Relationships: Create relationships between tables using foreign keys that reference the primary key of another table. This is fundamental for defining data relationships in a relational database.

  4. Improve Query Performance: Enhance query performance by using the primary key column(s) as a basis for searching, joining, and filtering data.

Syntax

The syntax for defining a PRIMARY KEY constraint in SQL is as follows:

CREATE TABLE table_name (
    column1 data_type PRIMARY KEY,
    column2 data_type,
    -- ...
);
  • table_name: The name of the table for which you're creating the PRIMARY KEY constraint.
  • column1: The column that you want to designate as the primary key.
  • data_type: The data type of the primary key column.
  • column2, ...: Additional columns in the table.
  • PRIMARY KEY: The keyword that specifies the primary key constraint.

Parameter values

  • table_name: The name of the table for which you're defining the primary key.
  • column1: The column that you're designating as the primary key. This column's values must be unique for each row in the table.
  • data_type: The data type for the primary key column, specifying the type of data it can store.
  • column2, ...: Additional columns in the table that may contain various data.

Example query

Here's an example SQL query that creates a table "students" with a "student_id" column as the primary key:

CREATE TABLE students (
    student_id INT PRIMARY KEY,
    first_name VARCHAR(50),
    last_name VARCHAR(50),
    date_of_birth DATE
);

Example table response

The "students" table is created with the "student_id" column as the primary key, ensuring that each student has a unique identifier. The table might contain data like this:

student_idfirst_namelast_namedate_of_birth
1JohnDoe2000-05-15
2JaneSmith2001-09-22
3BobJohnson1999-12-10

Use cases

  1. Uniquely Identifying Records: To ensure that each row in a table has a unique identifier, making it easy to manage and retrieve individual records.

  2. Data Integrity: To maintain data accuracy and consistency by preventing the insertion of duplicate records.

  3. Establishing Relationships: Creating relationships between tables using foreign keys that reference the primary key of another table. This is fundamental for defining data relationships in a relational database.

  4. Improving Query Performance: Enhancing query performance by using the primary key column(s) as a basis for searching, joining, and filtering data.

SQL Languages Availability

The concept of a PRIMARY KEY constraint is available in most SQL-based relational database management systems (RDBMS), including but not limited to:

  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL
  • Microsoft SQL Server
  • Oracle Database
  • IBM Db2
  • SQLite

While the core concept of a primary key is universal, the specific implementation and syntax may vary between different database systems. Always refer to your specific RDBMS documentation for precise details on using PRIMARY KEY constraints.


Keep reading

SQL UNIQUE

Read article

SQL FOREIGN KEY

Read article

SQL CHECK

Read article

Ready to put your SQL knowledge to work?

Practice writing SQL to call data from the warehouse and sync it into Google Sheets in this 5 minute interactive demo.

Hightouch Audiences user interface.