In a relational database designed for a healthcare clinic, there are two tables: 'Patients' and 'Appointments'. The 'Patients' table has a 'PatientID' field, which uniquely identifies each patient. How should this field be properly used in the 'Appointments' table to maintain a relationship between the two tables?
Generate a random unique identifier for each appointment separately from 'PatientID'
Create a new 'AppointmentID' field in the 'Patients' table
Include 'PatientID' as a 'Foreign Key' in the 'Appointments' table
Copy all patient information into the 'Appointments' table for each appointment
In a relational database, a 'Primary Key' in one table is used to uniquely identify each record in that table. To relate this to another table, this key is used in the second table as a 'Foreign Key'. Therefore, the 'PatientID' from the 'Patients' table should be included in the 'Appointments' table as a 'Foreign Key' to establish a relationship between patients and their appointments. Option A is correct because it maintains referential integrity by ensuring that every appointment record is associated with a valid patient record. The other options do not correctly establish this connection within the context of a relational database structure.
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