Different Types of SQL Keys

We have following types of keys in SQL which are used to fetch records from tables and to make relationship among tables or views.

1. Super Key

   Super key is a set of one or more than one keys that can be used to identify a record uniquely in a table.Example : Primary key, Unique key, Alternate key are subset of Super Keys.

2. Candidate Key

   A Candidate Key is a set of one or more fields/columns that can identify a record uniquely in a table. There can be multiple Candidate Keys in one table. Each Candidate Key can work as Primary Key.
   
   

3. Primary Key

   Primary key is a set of one or more fields/columns of a table that uniquely identify a record in database table. It can not accept null, duplicate values. Only one Candidate Key can be Primary Key.

4. Alternate key

   A Alternate key is a key that can be work as a primary key. Basically it is a candidate key that currently is not primary key.
   Example: In below diagram RollNo and EnrollNo becomes Alternate Keys when we define ID as Primary Key.

5. Composite/Compound Key

   Composite Key is a combination of more than one fields/columns of a table. It can be a Candidate key, Primary key.

6. Unique Key

   Uniquekey is a set of one or more fields/columns of a table that uniquely identify a record in database table. It is like Primary key but it can accept only one null value and it can not have duplicate values. For more help refer the article Difference between primary key and unique key.

7. Foreign Key

   Foreign Key is a field in database table that is Primary key in another table. It can accept multiple null, duplicate values. For more help refer the article Difference between primary key and foreign key.
   Example : We can have a DeptID column in the Employee table which is pointing to DeptID column in a department table where it a primary key.