Re: cascade keyword

A copy of this was sent to "Curly" <jjinternet_at_crawl.net> (if that email address didn't require changing) On Fri, 15 Oct 1999 08:18:06 -0700, you wrote:

>What is the real meaning of cascade?
>
>Thank you
>
>

Main Entry: cas·cade

Pronunciation: (")kas-'kAd
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Italian cascata, from cascare to fall, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin casicare, from Latin casus fall Date: 1641

1 : a steep usually small fall of water; especially : one of a series

2 a : something arranged or occurring in a series or in a succession of stages so that each stage derives from or acts upon the product of the preceding <blood clotting involves a biochemical cascade> b : a fall of material (as lace) that hangs in a zigzag line

3 : something falling or rushing forth in quantity <a cascade of sound> <a cascade of events>

With respect to Oracle an the "on delete cascade", we are using #2 from above. When you setup a foreign key from a child to a parent and use the on delete cascade -- we will "cascade" the delete of the parent record(s) to all related child records.

--
See http://osi.oracle.com/~tkyte/ for my columns 'Digging-in to Oracle8i'... Current article is "Part I of V, Autonomous Transactions" updated June 21'st  

Thomas Kyte                   tkyte_at_us.oracle.com
Oracle Service Industries     Reston, VA   USA

Opinions are mine and do not necessarily reflect those of Oracle Corporation Received on Fri Oct 15 1999 - 07:57:05 CDT