Question

An auto parts manufacturer is creating a new relational database to more accurately identify their customers and vendors. The manufacturer's database design team decided to use "vendorID" to link a given vendor to a specific product, as illustrated in the diagram shown.

What type of attribute is "vendorID"?

Answer 1

"vendorID" is an attribute that can be either a foreign key or a primary key in a database depending on its usage within the database schema.

Step-by-step explanation:

The "vendorID" attribute, which is used in a relational database by an auto parts manufacturer to link vendors to specific products, is generally considered a foreign key if it refers to a vendor from another table in the database (establishing a relationship between the two tables).

However, if "vendorID" is the main method of identifying vendors within a single table and no reference is made to another table, it would be considered a primary key. In essence, whether it's a foreign key or a primary key depends on the database schema and how the "vendorID" is used within the database.