Partial Dependency(Databases)

Question

I need closure on this. I fabricated a definition that partial dependency is when fields are indirectly dependent on the primary key or partially dependent but are also dep

Answer 1

I hope this explaination gives a more intuitive appeal to dependency than the answers previously given.

Functional Dependency

An analysis of dependency operates on the attribute level, i.e. one or more attribute is determined by another attribute, it comes before the concept of keys. 'The role of a key is based on the concept of determination. 'Determination is the state in which knowing the value of one attribute makes it possible to determine the value of another.' Database Systems 12ed

Functional dependency is when one or more attributes determine one or more attributes. For instance:

Social Security Number -> First Name, Last Name.

However, by definition of functional dependency:

(SSN, First Name) -> Last Name

This is also a valid functional dependency. The determinants (The attribute that which determines another attribution) are called super key.

Full Functional Dependency

Thus, as a subset of functional dependency, there is the concept of full functional dependency, where the bare minimal determinant is considered. We refer those bare minimal determinants collectively as one candidate key (weird linguistic quirk in my opinion, like the concept of vector).

Partial Functional Dependency

However, sometimes one of the attributes in the candidate key is sufficient to determine another attribute(s), BUT not all, in a relation (a table with no rows). That, is when you have a partial functional dependency within a relation.