Definition, Benefits, and Types of Triggers in Database

Definition of Trigger

Trigger is a collection of scripts or commands related to a table or view that will activate automatically when a certain event occurs.

These events include DML (Data Manipulation Language) operations such as:

• INSERT (Creating new data)
• UPDATE (Modifying data)
• DELETE (Deleting data)

The execution time of a trigger can be set before (BEFORE) or after (AFTER) the SQL statement is executed.

Example Application: Automatically recording all failed MySQL activities in creating new records due to technical issues, such as network connection loss.

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Benefits of Using Triggers

• Process Standardization
  Triggers are created once and stored directly in the database. This ensures that all clients will execute the same operations and process standardization.
• Easy to Update
  When a trigger is updated on the server side, all clients will automatically use the latest updated version without needing to change code on their application side.
• Improves Team Collaboration
  Because it is stored on the database server, all development team members can access and utilize it, even if they use different programming languages.
• Increases Process Efficiency
  Triggers are stored on the server in a compiled form. This makes execution faster and reduces network traffic load.
• Simpler Programs
  Applications no longer need to write additional commands or complex logic to detect data changes, making the program code cleaner and simpler.

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Types of Triggers

In general, triggers can be divided into two main categories based on where the event occurs:

Trigger Type	Description / Function	Example Event
Database Trigger	A trigger that activates due to direct changes or data manipulation on the database table.	DML operations (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE).
Application Trigger	A trigger that activates when triggered by certain events or interactions within the application.	User presses a specific button, opens a form, etc.