TSQL foreign keys on views?

Question

I have a SQL-Server 2008 database and a schema which uses foreign key constraints to enforce referential integrity. Works as intended. Now the user creates views on the orig

Answer 1

No, you can't create foreign keys on views.

Even if you could, where would that leave you? You would still have to declare the FK after creating the view. Who would declare the FK, you or the user? If the user is sophisticated enough to declare a FK, why couldn't he add an inner join to the referenced view? eg:

create view1 as select a, b, c, d from table1 where a in (1, 2, 3)
go 
create view2 as select a, m, n, o from table2 where a in (select a from view1)
go 

vs:

create view1 as select a, b, c, d from table1 where a in (1, 2, 3)
go 
create view2 as select a, m, n, o from table2
--# pseudo-syntax for fk:
alter view2 add foreign key (a) references view1 (a)
go 

I don't see how the foreign key would simplify your job.

Alternatively:

Copy the subset of data into another schema or database. Same tables, same keys, less data, faster analysis, less contention.

If you need a subset of all the tables, use another database. If you only need a subset of some tables, use a schema in the same database. That way your new tables can still reference the non-copied tables.

Then use the existing views to copy the data over. Any FK violations will raise an error and identify which views require editing. Create a job and schedule it daily, if necessary.