Primary Keys
This Oracle tutorial explains how to create, drop, disable, and enable a primary key in Oracle with syntax and examples.
What is a primary key in Oracle?
In Oracle, a primary key is a single field or combination of fields that uniquely defines a record. None of the fields that are part of the primary key can contain a null value. A table can have only one primary key.
Note
- In Oracle, a primary key can not contain more than 32 columns.
- A primary key can be defined in either a CREATE TABLE statement or an ALTER TABLE statement.
Create Primary Key - Using CREATE TABLE statement
You can create a primary key in Oracle with the CREATE TABLE statement.
Syntax
The syntax to create a primary key using the CREATE TABLE statement in Oracle/PLSQL is:
CREATE TABLE table_name
(
column1 datatype null/not null,
column2 datatype null/not null,
...
CONSTRAINT constraint_name PRIMARY KEY (column1, column2, ... column_n)
);
Example
Let's look at an example of how to create a primary key using the CREATE TABLE statement in Oracle:
CREATE TABLE supplier
(
supplier_id numeric(10) not null,
supplier_name varchar2(50) not null,
contact_name varchar2(50),
CONSTRAINT supplier_pk PRIMARY KEY (supplier_id)
);
In this example, we've created a primary key on the supplier table called supplier_pk. It consists of only one field - the supplier_id field.
We could also create a primary key with more than one field as in the example below:
CREATE TABLE supplier
(
supplier_id numeric(10) not null,
supplier_name varchar2(50) not null,
contact_name varchar2(50),
CONSTRAINT supplier_pk PRIMARY KEY (supplier_id, supplier_name)
);
Create Primary Key - Using ALTER TABLE statement
You can create a primary key in Oracle with the ALTER TABLE statement.
Syntax
The syntax to create a primary key using the ALTER TABLE statement in Oracle/PLSQL is:
ALTER TABLE table_name
ADD CONSTRAINT constraint_name PRIMARY KEY (column1, column2, ... column_n);
Example
Let's look at an example of how to create a primary key using the ALTER TABLE statement in Oracle.
ALTER TABLE supplier
ADD CONSTRAINT supplier_pk PRIMARY KEY (supplier_id);
In this example, we've created a primary key on the existing supplier table called supplier_pk. It consists of the field called supplier_id.
We could also create a primary key with more than one field as in the example below:
ALTER TABLE supplier
ADD CONSTRAINT supplier_pk PRIMARY KEY (supplier_id, supplier_name);
Drop Primary Key
You can drop a primary key in Oracle using the ALTER TABLE statement.
Syntax
The syntax to drop a primary key using the ALTER TABLE statement in Oracle/PLSQL is:
ALTER TABLE table_name
DROP CONSTRAINT constraint_name;
Example
Let's look at an example of how to drop a primary key using the ALTER TABLE statement in Oracle.
ALTER TABLE supplier
DROP CONSTRAINT supplier_pk;
In this example, we're dropping a primary key on the supplier table called supplier_pk.
Disable Primary Key
You can disable a primary key in Oracle using the ALTER TABLE statement.
Syntax
The syntax to disable a primary key using the ALTER TABLE statement in Oracle/PLSQL is:
ALTER TABLE table_name
DISABLE CONSTRAINT constraint_name;
Example
Let's look at an example of how to disable a primary using the ALTER TABLE statement in Oracle.
ALTER TABLE supplier
DISABLE CONSTRAINT supplier_pk;
In this example, we're disabling a primary key on the supplier table called supplier_pk.
Enable Primary Key
You can enable a primary key in Oracle using the ALTER TABLE statement.
Syntax
The syntax to enable a primary key using the ALTER TABLE statement in Oracle/PLSQL is:
ALTER TABLE table_name
ENABLE CONSTRAINT constraint_name;
Example
Let's look at an example of how to enable a primary key using the ALTER TABLE statement in Oracle.
ALTER TABLE supplier
ENABLE CONSTRAINT supplier_pk;
In this example, we're enabling a primary key on the supplier table called supplier_pk.