SQL issue with multiple foreign - mysql

Question

Issue:
I'm using PostgreSQL Database.
I have one table (Albums) to be linked to two other tables (Clients, Domains). So if you are Client or Domain you can have Album. But in Albums table owner can handle only single foreign key. How can I solve this issue?
Dream: Single Album can own only (1) Client or Domain. Need fix issue with foreign keys. Albums: id | owner (multiple foreign -> Clients:id or Domains:id) --> can not do this | name. I just need some smart rework.
Tables (now can have Album only Domain):
Albums
Clients
Domains
Albums (table with foreign key yet):
id | owner (foreign key -> Domains:id) | name
Clients:
id | first_name | last_name
Domains:
id | owner | name

Answer 1

Add 2 FK columns, and a CHECK constraint, to enforce only one of them is NOT NULL...
Something like this:
CREATE TABLE albums (
id serial PRIMARY KEY,
client_id integer,
domain_id integer,
name varchar(255) NOT NULL,
FOREIGN KEY (client_id) REFERENCES clients(id),
FOREIGN KEY (domain_id) REFERENCES domains(id),
CHECK ((client_id IS NULL) <> (domain_id IS NULL))
);
To query you can use something like this:
SELECT a.id, COALESCE(c.id, d.id) AS owner_id, COALESCE(c.name, d.name) AS owner_name,
a.name AS title
FROM albums a
LEFT JOIN clients c ON a.client_id = c.id
LEFT JOIN domains d ON a.domain_id = d.id
#e_i_pi's version
CREATE TABLE entities (
id serial PRIMARY KEY,
type integer, -- could be any other type
-- any other "common" values
);
CREATE TABLE client_entities (
id integer PRIMARY KEY, -- at INSERT this comes from table `entities`
name varchar(255) NOT NULL,
);
CREATE TABLE domain_entities (
id integer PRIMARY KEY, -- at INSERT this comes from table `entities`
name varchar(255) NOT NULL,
);
CREATE TABLE albums (
id serial PRIMARY KEY,
owner_id integer FOREIGN KEY REFERENCES entities(id), -- maybe NOT NULL?
name varchar(255) NOT NULL,
);
Query:
SELECT a.id, owner_id, COALESCE(c.name, d.name) AS owner_name, a.name AS title
FROM albums a
LEFT JOIN entities e ON a.owner_id = e.id
LEFT JOIN client_entities c ON e.id = c.id AND e.type = 1 -- depending on the type of `type`
LEFT JOIN domain_entities d ON e.id = d.id AND e.type = 2

Answer 2

Righto, so as suggested in the comment to the answer by #UsagiMiyamoto, there is a way to do this that allows declaration of entity types, with cascading. Note that this solution doesn't support unlimited entity types, as we need to maintain concrete FK constraints. There is a way to do this with unlimited entity types, but involves triggers and quite a bit of nastiness.
Here's the easy to understand solution:
-- Start with a test schema
DROP SCHEMA IF EXISTS "entityExample" CASCADE;
CREATE SCHEMA IF NOT EXISTS "entityExample";
SET SEARCH_PATH TO "entityExample";
-- We'll need this to enforce constraints
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION is_entity_type(text, text) returns boolean as $$
SELECT TRUE WHERE $1 = $2
;
$$ language sql;
-- Unique entity types
CREATE TABLE "entityTypes" (
name TEXT NOT NULL,
CONSTRAINT "entityTypes_ukey" UNIQUE ("name")
);
-- Our client entities
CREATE TABLE clients (
id integer PRIMARY KEY,
name TEXT NOT NULL
);
-- Our domain entities
CREATE TABLE domains (
id integer PRIMARY KEY,
name TEXT NOT NULL
);
-- Our overaching entities table, which maintains FK constraints against clients and domains
CREATE TABLE entities (
id serial PRIMARY KEY,
"entityType" TEXT NOT NULL,
"clientID" INTEGER CHECK (is_entity_type("entityType", 'client')),
"domainID" INTEGER CHECK (is_entity_type("entityType", 'domain')),
CONSTRAINT "entities_entityType" FOREIGN KEY ("entityType") REFERENCES "entityTypes" (name) ON DELETE CASCADE ON UPDATE CASCADE,
CONSTRAINT "entities_clientID" FOREIGN KEY ("clientID") REFERENCES "clients" (id) ON DELETE CASCADE ON UPDATE CASCADE,
CONSTRAINT "entities_domainID" FOREIGN KEY ("domainID") REFERENCES "domains" (id) ON DELETE CASCADE ON UPDATE CASCADE
);
-- Our albums table, which now can have one owner, but of a dynam ic entity type
CREATE TABLE albums (
id serial PRIMARY KEY,
"ownerEntityID" integer,
name TEXT NOT NULL,
CONSTRAINT "albums_ownerEntityID" FOREIGN KEY ("ownerEntityID") REFERENCES "entities"("id")
);
-- Put the entity type in
INSERT INTO "entityTypes" ("name") VALUES ('client'), ('domain');
-- Enter our clients and domains
INSERT INTO clients VALUES (1, 'clientA'), (2, 'clientB');
INSERT INTO domains VALUES (50, 'domainA');
-- Make sure the clients and domains are registered as entities
INSERT INTO entities ("entityType", "clientID")
SELECT
'client',
"clients".id
FROM "clients"
ON CONFLICT DO NOTHING
;
INSERT INTO entities ("entityType", "domainID")
SELECT
'domain',
"domains".id
FROM "domains"
ON CONFLICT DO NOTHING
;
If you don't like the idea of inserting twice (once in client, once in entites, for example) you can have a trigger on inserts in the clients table, or alternately create an insert function that inserts to both tables at once.