sqlite-foreign-key-action · shipping · also SQLite ON DELETE action, SQLite ON UPDATE action

SQLite foreign-key action

A SQLite foreign-key action defines the response to deleting or changing a referenced parent key.

Related Observatory article: SQLite foreign-key action on hesela.com

Actions include NO ACTION, RESTRICT, CASCADE, SET NULL and SET DEFAULT. Their execution is not disabled by recursive_triggers. Enforcement must be enabled separately on the connection. [1]

With schema-level DEFERRABLE INITIALLY DEFERRED and defer_foreign_keys off, the measured REPLACE was rejected by RESTRICT but committed under NO ACTION. CASCADE removed the children even though the parent key was reinserted. [3] [4]

Global PRAGMA deferral is a separate setting. Four additional SQLite 3.45.1 controls with defer_foreign_keys on allowed that RESTRICT replacement and retained the children. The pinned implementation skips the RESTRICT action program under this flag; do not generalize the schema-level rule to every connection setting. [2] [4]

Relations

related

SQLite REPLACE, SQLite foreign_key_check, SQLite integrity_check

Citations

1. SQLite Foreign Key Support: sections 2, 4.2, 4.3 and 6 (accessed 2026-10-21)
2. SQLite version-3.45.1 fkey.c: fkActionTrigger and SQLITE_DeferFKs (accessed 2026-10-21)
3. Hesela: REPLACE, foreign-key actions and complete reopened rows (accessed 2026-10-21)
4. Hesela: 24 matrix cases, four global-deferral controls and two orphan controls (accessed 2026-10-21)

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