by What is data integrity
Data integrity is the overall accuracy, completeness, and consistency of data. Data integrity also refers to the safety of data in regard to regulatory compliance and security. It is maintained by a collection of processes, rules, and standards implemented during the design phase
Types of data integrity
Maintaining data integrity requires an understanding of the two types of data integrity: physical integrity and logical integrity.
Physical integrity
Physical integrity is the protection of the wholeness and accuracy of that data as it’s stored and retrieved. When natural disasters strike, power goes out, or hackers disrupt database functions, physical integrity is compromised. Human error, storage erosion, and a host of other issues can also make it impossible for data processing managers, system programmers, applications programmers, and internal auditors to obtain accurate data.
Logical integrity
Logical integrity keeps data unchanged as it’s used in different ways in a relational database. Logical integrity protects data from human error and hackers as well, but in a much different way than physical integrity does. There are four types of logical integrity:
Entity integrity
Entity integrity relies on the creation of primary keys the unique values that identify pieces of data to ensure that data isn’t listed more than once and that no field in a table is null.
Referential integrity
Referential integrity refers to the series of processes that make sure data is stored and used uniformly. Rules embedded into the database’s structure about how foreign keys are used ensure that only appropriate changes, additions, or deletions of data occur. Rules may include constraints that eliminate the entry of duplicate data, guarantee that data entry is accurate, and/or disallow the entry of data that doesn’t apply.
Domain integrity
Domain integrity is the collection of processes that ensure the accuracy of each piece of data in a domain. In this context, a domain is a set of acceptable values that a column is allowed to contain. It can include constraints and other measures that limit the format, type, and amount of data entered.
User-defined integrity
User-defined integrity involves the rules and constraints created by the user to fit their particular needs. Sometimes entity, referential, and domain integrity aren’t enough to safeguard data. Often, specific business rules must be taken into account and incorporated into data integrity measures.
