Unique and Nonunique Primary Indexes - Analytics Database - Teradata Vantage

Database Administration

Deployment
VantageCloud
VantageCore
Edition
Enterprise
IntelliFlex
VMware
Product
Analytics Database
Teradata Vantage
Release Number
17.20
Published
June 2022
ft:locale
en-US
ft:lastEdition
2024-10-04
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ujp1472240543947
lifecycle
latest
Product Category
Teradata Vantageā„¢

You can define the primary index as unique (UPI) or nonunique (NUPI), depending on whether duplicate values are allowed in the indexed column set.

UPIs provide optimal data distribution and are typically assigned to the primary key for a table. However, the primary key is not necessarily always the best candidate for a primary index.

When a table is designed with a NUPI, consider assigning a uniqueness constraint such as PRIMARY KEY or UNIQUE to the primary or other alternate key of the table. This both enforces uniqueness and enhances retrieval for applications where the primary or other alternate key is frequently used as a selection or join criterion.