SQL Server 2017外键关系窗口命名疑问：是否存在拼写错误？

Great question! This is a common point of confusion, and it’s definitely not a spelling error—let me break down why this naming makes sense (even if it feels counterintuitive at first):

• First, let’s clarify what each part of the foreign key constraint governs:

  • INSERT operations: This applies to the child table—when you insert a row into the child table, the foreign key value must exist in the parent table’s primary key column. This is a mandatory, non-configurable rule of foreign key integrity; there’s no "CASCADE INSERT" or similar option here because the parent record must exist first.
  • UPDATE/DELETE operations: These apply to the parent table. When you update or delete a primary key value in the parent table, SQL Server needs to know how to handle dependent rows in the child table. That’s exactly what the Delete Rule and Update Rule options control (choices like CASCADE, NO ACTION, SET NULL, or SET DEFAULT).

• The "INSERT And UPDATE Specification" name is meant to cover all write operations related to the foreign key constraint:

  • The "INSERT" part refers to the child table’s mandatory insert behavior (even though there’s no configurable rule here).
  • The "UPDATE" part signals that parent table updates are configurable—and since parent table deletes fall into the same category of "parent record changes that affect child data," they’re grouped into this same collapsible section.

It’s a bit of a quirky naming choice from Microsoft, but it’s intentional. The section is designed to encapsulate all rules tied to modifying data that interacts with the foreign key, even if the naming doesn’t explicitly call out DELETE.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Omid Sadeghi