Surrogaatkoodiin

Surrogaatkoodiin refers to a surrogate key used in database management. A surrogate key is an artificial identifier that does not contain any business-related data. It is typically an integer that is automatically generated by the database system, often sequentially. The primary purpose of a surrogate key is to uniquely identify each record in a table.

Unlike natural keys, which are derived from the actual attributes of an entity (e.g., a social security number or an email address), surrogate keys are created solely for the purpose of identification. This independence from business data offers several advantages. For instance, if the business attributes that would form a natural key change over time, the surrogate key remains unaffected, ensuring data integrity and simplifying relationships between tables.

Surrogate keys are often implemented as auto-incrementing integers or universally unique identifiers (UUIDs). Their use is common in data warehousing and in situations where natural keys are complex, prone to change, or may not be unique. They are crucial for establishing relationships in relational databases, serving as foreign keys in other tables to link records. The neutrality and immutability of surrogate keys make them a robust choice for primary identification in database design.