System and method for enforcing referential constraints between versioned database tables

A method for supporting version control of a database, the method comprising:

• receiving a query associated with an operation to be performed on one of a parent table and a child table of the database in accordance with a version wherein the parent table is not capable of having multiple versions of a record;
• determining whether the query instructs modification of a foreign key value of a version of a record in the child table;
• determining whether the operation violates an integrity constraint based on the version;
• and
• selectively rejecting the query if the integrity constraint is violated, wherein the query is rejected if no corresponding record exists in the parent table.

A system for supporting version control of a database, the system comprising:

• means for receiving a query associated with an operation to be performed on one of a parent table and a child table of the database in accordance with a version wherein both of the parent table and the child table are capable of having multiple versions of a record;
• means for determining whether the query instructs modification of a foreign key value of a version of a record in the child table;
• means for determining whether the operation violates an integrity constraint based on the version;
• and
• means for selectively rejecting the query if the integrity constraint is violated.

A system for supporting version control of a database, comprising:

• means for receiving a query associated with an operation to be performed on one of a parent table and a child table of the database in accordance with a version wherein the parent table is not capable of having multiple versions of a record;
• means for determining whether the query instructs modification of a foreign key value of a version of a record in the child table;
• means for determining whether the operation violates an integrity constraint based on the version;
• and
• means for selectively rejecting the query if the integrity constraint is violated, wherein the query is rejected if no corresponding record exists in the parent table.

A method for supporting version control of a database, the method comprising:

• defining a referential constraint between a first table and a second table with respect to a first version;
• receiving a first query to perform an operation on the first table and the second table in accordance with the first version, said operation violating the referential constraint;
• rejecting the first query;
• receiving a second query to perform the operation on the first table and the second table in accordance with a second version other than the first version, said operation violating the referential constraint;
• and
• causing the second query to be performed.