CodexBloom - Programming Q&A Platform

SQLite Foreign Key Constraints Not Being Enforced as Expected

πŸ‘€ Views: 153 πŸ’¬ Answers: 1 πŸ“… Created: 2025-06-14
sqlite foreign-keys database SQL

I'm working on a project using SQLite version 3.35.5 and I've set up foreign key constraints between my `orders` and `customers` tables, but the constraints don't seem to be enforced when I attempt to delete a customer who has existing orders. I've enabled foreign key support using `PRAGMA foreign_keys = ON;` at the beginning of my database connection. However, when I try to execute the following delete statement: ```sql DELETE FROM customers WHERE customer_id = 1; ``` I'm not receiving any errors, and the customer is deleted successfully, along with the associated orders, which is not the behavior I expected. Here’s the structure of my tables: ```sql CREATE TABLE customers ( customer_id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT NOT NULL ); CREATE TABLE orders ( order_id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, customer_id INTEGER, amount DECIMAL NOT NULL, FOREIGN KEY (customer_id) REFERENCES customers(customer_id) ON DELETE RESTRICT ); ``` I also checked the integrity of my foreign key relationships by running `PRAGMA foreign_key_check;`, and it returned no errors, which adds to my confusion. I've tried re-creating the tables and ensuring the foreign keys are properly defined. Still, the delete operation does not behave as expected. Could anyone guide to understand why the foreign key constraint isn't being enforced? Is there something I'm missing or misconfigured? Any insights would be greatly appreciated!