IDérték

Idérték is a Hungarian term used to describe the value stored in an identifier field (ID) of a data record. In data management and software design, an idérték uniquely identifies a row within a table or an object within a dataset and serves as the primary reference for related data.

Common characteristics of idérték include uniqueness, immutability, and stability. ID values are often generated automatically rather than derived from business data, a practice that helps prevent changes to references when other attributes are updated. Typical forms include auto-incrementing integers and string-based identifiers such as UUIDs or GUIDs.

In database design, idérték commonly functions as a primary key, enabling fast lookups and efficient indexing. They are frequently used as foreign keys to establish relationships between tables, supporting referential integrity across a data model. When choosing an idérték strategy, considerations include the data type, generation method, indexing, and potential privacy implications.

There are design alternatives, such as natural keys (using real-world attributes as identifiers) or composite keys. Best practices for idérték emphasize treating identifiers as immutable, avoiding reuse, and, where appropriate, protecting against unintended enumeration or exposure of sequencing patterns that could reveal system structure or user counts.

See also: primary key, surrogate key, UUID, foreign key, database design.