Enforcing temporal referential integrity

A method for enforcement of temporal referential integrity in a database system, comprising:

• defining temporal referential constraints between a parent table and a child table in the database system using data definition language;
• creating a parent key index for the parent table, the parent key index being a unique index with last two columns being an end time column and a begin time column of a parent business time period;
• creating a child key index for the child table, the child key index being a non-unique index with last two columns being an end time column and a begin time column of the child business time period;
• receiving a change request for one or more rows in a target table in the database system;
• determining, by the database system, that the target table comprises temporal referential constraints with a second table, the target table being either the child table or the parent table of the second table;
• using the parent key index or the child key index, comparing, by the database system, a non-period child key value in one or more child table rows with a non-period parent key value in one or more parent table rows;
• using the parent key index or the child key index, comparing, by the database system, a child business time period key value in the one or more child table rows with a parent business time period key value in the one or more parent table rows;
• and
• when the non-period child key value matches the non-period parent key value and when the child business time period key value is within the parent business time period key value, determining, by the database system, that the change request satisfies the temporal referential constraints, wherein otherwise determining that the change request violates the temporal referential constraints.