how to put foreign key in mysql - mysql

Question

I want to know how to use a foreign key in a table,
I have a code here:
create table penerbit_buku(
id_buku char(8),
foreign key(id_buku) references buku(id_buku),
id_penerbit char(3),
foreign key(id_penerbit) references penerbit(id_penerbit)
)
Can I use this code instead:
create table penerbit_buku(
id_buku char(8) references buku(id_buku),
id_penerbit char(3) references penerbit(id_penerbit)
)
I have tried both and it succeed, is that correct?

Answer 1

No, MySQL parses but ignores the standard inline REFERENCES syntax.
When you declare a foreign key along with an individual column definition, it accepts the syntax as legitimate SQL, but then does not store the foreign key constraint. There's no error reported, but it's as if you didn't write the foreign key syntax at all.
You must declare foreign keys as table-level constraints (your first example above).
This is a case where MySQL is missing a feature of standard SQL. The issue was reported back in 2004, but never fixed! https://bugs.mysql.com/bug.php?id=4919
The reason for this issue is that historically, foreign key constraints were not supported by MySQL itself, but by the InnoDB storage engine, which was made by another company back then. They had to implement their own parser for CREATE TABLE and ALTER TABLE to support foreign keys, and they didn't feel like going the extra steps to support inline foreign key syntax, when table-level foreign key syntax would work.
The architect of InnoDB posted this response:
[6 Sep 2006 10:03] Heikki Tuuri
This will be fixed in MySQL foreign keys, when they are available for all table types.
The MySQL project is gradually working their way toward integrating foreign keys and similar features directly into the MySQL product. Perhaps in a few more years we'll see better support for standard FK syntax.

Answer 2

EXAMPLE:
CREATE TABLE Orders (
ID int NOT NULL,
Number int NOT NULL,
PersonID int,
PRIMARY KEY (ID),
FOREIGN KEY (PersonID) REFERENCES Persons(PersonID)
);
The foreign key must be referencing a primary key in another table
create table penerbit_buku
(id_buku char(8),
id_penerbit char(3),
foreign key(id_buku) references buku(id_buku),
foreign key(id_penerbit) references penerbit(id_penerbit)
);
I would need to see your other tables to give better help in the code

Answer 3

You can use this:
ALTER TABLE `table1`
ADD CONSTRAINT `FK_table1_table2` FOREIGN KEY (`fk_id`) REFERENCES `table2` (`id`);

Answer 4

first lets look at the description of FOREIGN KEY.
A FOREIGN KEY is a key used to link two tables together.
or
A FOREIGN KEY is a field (or collection of fields) in one table that refers to the PRIMARY KEY in another table.
Usually a table that has the foreign key is the child table. and the other table is the reference or parent table.
Since i Can not see your tables, ill give you different example.
Look at the following two tables:
Persons table:
Personal_id LastName FirstName age
1 pretty bob 20
2 angry jack 30
3 happy sue 28
Order Table:
OrderID OrderNumber Personal_id
1 77895 3
2 44678 3
3 22456 2
4 24562 1
Now look how Personal_id column in Orders table points to Personal_id in persons table.
The Personal_id in persons table is the primary key and the Personal_id in the orders table is the FOREIGN KEY.
now except linking how does foreign key help:
two general ways that i can think of:
1- foreign key is like a constrain that makes sure no action would destroy the links between tables
2- foreign key also acts as a constrain to stop invalid data from being inserted into the foreign key column, as it has to reference to the primary key column in the other table
code example in MySql:
CREATE TABLE Orders (
OrderID int NOT NULL,
OrderNumber int NOT NULL,
PersonID int,
PRIMARY KEY (OrderID),
FOREIGN KEY (Personal_id) REFERENCES Persons(Personal_id)
);
code example is SQL-Server/MS Access/ Oracle:
CREATE TABLE Orders (
OrderID int NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY,
OrderNumber int NOT NULL,
PersonID int FOREIGN KEY REFERENCES Persons(Personal_id)
);
Primary key of Orders table is the orderID.
Foreign key of Orders table is what links it to persons table.
Personal_id columns are the columns that link both tables.
Both of the code chunks do the same depends what are you working with.
real world example:
assuming:
customer_Table column to be a primary key in restaurant table and foreign key in orders table.
if a waiter is putting customer_Table number 20 in the machine, and he puts customer_Table 200 by mistake such key does not exist as a primary key in restaurant table so he cant.
Extra:
what if you want to allow naming of the FOREIGN KEY constraint, and define a FOREIGN KEY constraint on many columns?
MySQL / SQL Server / Oracle / MS Access:
CREATE TABLE Orders (
OrderID int NOT NULL,
OrderNumber int NOT NULL,
Personal_id int,
PRIMARY KEY (OrderID),
CONSTRAINT FK_PersonOrder FOREIGN KEY (Personal_id)
REFERENCES Persons(Personal_id)
);