Cascading Update

Definitions

1. A database behavior in which changes to a referenced parent key automatically propagate to related child records through foreign-key rules. Cascading updates help maintain referential integrity when identifiers change, though many systems avoid mutable primary keys to reduce that complexity.

   In plain English: A database rule that automatically updates related records when a referenced key changes.

   Example: "The schema relied on cascading update because several historical tables referenced a partner ID that could occasionally be merged and reassigned."

Related Terms

• Persistence
• Seed Data
• Snapshot
• Firmware Update
• Automated Migration
• Blob
• Cascading Delete
• Column Index
• Composite Index