What is meant by cascading referential integrity?

Cascading referential integrity refers to a feature in database management systems that maintains consistency across related tables when changes occur. When a record in a primary table is updated or deleted, cascading referential integrity ensures that any corresponding records in the related tables are automatically updated or deleted as well. This mechanism helps maintain the logical relationship between tables and prevents orphaned records, which could lead to data integrity issues.

For example, consider a database with two tables: one for customers and one for orders. If a customer record is deleted from the customers table, cascading referential integrity would automatically delete all associated orders from the orders table to keep the database clean and consistent. This automation reduces the need for manual intervention and simplifies the process of managing data relationships within the database.

The other choices represent concepts that do not accurately reflect the definition of cascading referential integrity or do not pertain to its primary function. Manual updates, prevention of data duplication, and restrictions on data access are not automatic actions tied to the cascading nature of referential integrity but rather different aspects of data management.