Overview v11

A trigger is a named SPL code block that is associated with a table and stored in the database. When a specified event occurs on the associated table, the SPL code block is executed. The trigger is said to be fired when the code block is executed.

The event that causes a trigger to fire can be any combination of an insert, update, or deletion carried out on the table, either directly or indirectly. If the table is the object of a SQL INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE, command the trigger is directly fired assuming that the corresponding insert, update, or delete event is defined as a triggering event. The events that fire the trigger are defined in the CREATE TRIGGER command.

A trigger can be fired indirectly if a triggering event occurs on the table as a result of an event initiated on another table. For example, if a trigger is defined on a table containing a foreign key defined with the ON DELETE CASCADE clause and a row in the parent table is deleted, all children of the parent would be deleted as well. If deletion is a triggering event on the child table, deletion of the children will cause the trigger to fire.