Data integrity
The assurance that data stays correct and intact as it is stored, moved, and changed, with nothing lost, altered, or left pointing at records that no longer exist.
In databases the term often means specific enforced rules, such as every order referring to a customer that exists. More loosely, it means the data has not been damaged since it was recorded.
See also
- ConstraintA rule that a database or file format enforces on a column, such as not blank, unique, or within a range. Data that breaks the rule is rejected.
- Foreign keyA column whose values refer to the primary key of another table, such as the customer ID stored on each order.
- ChecksumA short value calculated from the contents of a file or record. If the contents change at all, the checksum almost certainly changes too.