What is the difference between a primary key and a unique key?
In database management systems, both primary key and unique key are essential tools for ensuring data uniqueness and integrity, but they have several key distinctions:Definition:Primary Key: A table can have only one primary key. It uniquely identifies each row of data within the table. Primary key does not allow NULL values, meaning the column defined as primary key must contain values.Unique Key: A table can have multiple unique keys. It ensures all values in the column are unique, but unlike primary key, unique key may allow NULL values (depending on the database system; most systems permit a single NULL value in the unique key column).Purpose:Primary Key: Used to uniquely identify records in the table and is commonly employed as a foreign key in other tables to establish relationships. Thus, it is crucial for maintaining data integrity.Unique Key: Used to enforce data uniqueness in the column but does not necessarily identify records. It is primarily utilized to guarantee data uniqueness and accuracy.Example:Consider a table with fields such as , , , and . Here, can serve as the primary key since it uniquely identifies each user. Fields like and can be set as unique keys to prevent duplicate registrations with the same email or phone number, though the data can be NULL (e.g., if a user omits certain information).Practical Application:In real-world scenarios, selecting the column for primary key often depends on business requirements and data uniqueness. For instance, in an e-commerce database, order ID is typically set as primary key because each order is unique. Product SKU numbers may be configured as unique keys to avoid duplicate entries of identical products.In summary, both primary key and unique key are vital for maintaining data uniqueness and integrity. Primary key acts as the main identifier for the table, with only one per table and no NULL values permitted; unique key can have multiple instances and may allow NULL values depending on the system. Both play critical roles in database design.