A referential integrity constraint is required for M:M relationships.

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Question restatement: The prompt asks whether a referential integrity constraint is required for many-to-many (M:M) relationships.

Option 1: True. The common relational design pattern for M:M relationships is to implement them with a junction (association) table that contains foreign keys referencing the two related entities. These foreign keys establish referential integrity constraints, ensuring that each related pair corresponds to existing records in both tables. Without such constraints, orphaned or invalid associations could appear, leading to inconsistent data. Therefore, enforcing referential integrity is a standard, recommended practice for M:M relationships.

Option 2: False. One might argue that you could manage M:M relationships without explicit referential integrity by manually enforcing consistency or by using application-level checks. However, this is not reliable and goes against the principles of relational databases, where referential integrity constraints (foreign keys) are precisely the mechanism that guarantees that referenced rows exist. Thus, claiming that referential integrity is not required contradicts established database design norms and can lead to data anomalies.

In summary, the design pattern for M:M relationships relies on a junction table with foreign keys that enforce referential integrity, making the presence of those constraints the normative approach. The alternative view fails to recognize the role of foreign keys in maintaining data correctness, and it introduces a risk of inconsistent data.

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A referential integrity constraint is required for M:M relationships.

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