| Goal | This query identifies base tables with a potentially redundant key structure. It specifically targets those having more than one PRIMARY KEY or UNIQUE constraint defined on a single integer-type column whose name matches the surrogate key naming convention (id_* or *_id). This pattern is a strong indicator of multiple surrogate keys for the same entity, which can indicate an overcomplicated data model. A single entity should typically have only one system-generated identifier to maintain schema clarity, simplify join logic, and avoid redundancy. The presence of multiple such keys warrants a review to determine if one is superfluous. |
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| Type | Problem detection (Each row in the result could represent a flaw in the design) |
| Reliability | Medium (Medium number of false-positive results) |
| License | MIT (opens in new tab) |
| Data Source | INFORMATION_SCHEMA+system catalog |
| SQL Query |
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Collections
This query belongs to the following collections:
Find problems automatically
Queries, that results point to problems in the database. Each query in the collection produces an initial assessment. However, a human reviewer has the final say as to whether there is a problem or not .
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Find problems automatically | Queries, that results point to problems in the database. Each query in the collection produces an initial assessment. However, a human reviewer has the final say as to whether there is a problem or not . |
Categories
This query is classified under the following categories:
Duplication of implementation elements
Queries of this catergory provide information about the duplication of the database objects.
Result quality depends on names
Queries of this category use names (for instance, column names) to try to guess the meaning of a database object. Thus, the goodness of names determines the number of false positive and false negative results.
Uniqueness
Queries of this category provide information about uniqueness constraints (PRIMARY KEY, UNIQUE, EXCLUDE) as well as unique indexes.
Validity and completeness
Queries of this category provide information about whether database design represents the world (domain) correctly (validity) and whether database design captures all the information about the world (domain) that is correct and relevant (completeness).
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Duplication of implementation elements | Queries of this catergory provide information about the duplication of the database objects. |
| Result quality depends on names | Queries of this category use names (for instance, column names) to try to guess the meaning of a database object. Thus, the goodness of names determines the number of false positive and false negative results. |
| Uniqueness | Queries of this category provide information about uniqueness constraints (PRIMARY KEY, UNIQUE, EXCLUDE) as well as unique indexes. |
| Validity and completeness | Queries of this category provide information about whether database design represents the world (domain) correctly (validity) and whether database design captures all the information about the world (domain) that is correct and relevant (completeness). |