Foreign key constraint error during SQL Server table creation - sql

Question

I am trying to create a table on SQL Server which has foreign key constraints.I checked all my parent tables and their primary keys match with my new foreign key constraints. Can someone help me out in resolving this issue. My DDL and error message are as below.
DDL
CREATE TABLE I_IPV_LOB_PROG_PROV_MO_METRIC_TRNS(
AARP_ORG_ID int NOT NULL,
LOB_ID int NOT NULL,
PGM_CAT_ID int NOT NULL,
PGM_ID int NOT NULL,
PROV_ID int NOT NULL,
CAT_OF_MEAS_ID int NOT NULL,
SUBCAT_OF_MEAS_ID int NOT NULL,
MEAS_ID int NOT NULL,
TYPE_OF_METRIC_ID int NOT NULL,
METRIC_VAL_ROLE_ID int NOT NULL,
MO_ID int NOT NULL,
OPER_TXT varchar(5) NULL,
METRIC_VAL decimal(19, 2) NOT NULL,
LST_UPD_DT datetime NOT NULL,
LOAD_DT datetime NULL,
LST_UPD_USERID char(20) NOT NULL,
CONSTRAINT PK79 PRIMARY KEY NONCLUSTERED (TYPE_OF_METRIC_ID, METRIC_VAL_ROLE_ID, AARP_ORG_ID, LOB_ID, PGM_CAT_ID, PGM_ID, PROV_ID, MEAS_ID, MO_ID, CAT_OF_MEAS_ID, SUBCAT_OF_MEAS_ID),
CONSTRAINT RefI_IPV_TYPE_OF_METRIC_TRNS73 FOREIGN KEY (TYPE_OF_METRIC_ID)
REFERENCES I_IPV_TYPE_OF_METRIC_TRNS(TYPE_OF_METRIC_ID),
CONSTRAINT RefI_IPV_METRIC_VAL_ROLE_TRNS75 FOREIGN KEY (METRIC_VAL_ROLE_ID)
REFERENCES I_IPV_METRIC_VAL_ROLE_TRNS(METRIC_VAL_ROLE_ID),
CONSTRAINT RefI_IPV_LOB_PROG_PROV_MEAS_TRNS345 FOREIGN KEY (AARP_ORG_ID,LOB_ID,PGM_CAT_ID,PGM_ID,PROV_ID,MEAS_ID,CAT_OF_MEAS_ID,SUBCAT_OF_MEAS_ID)
REFERENCES I_IPV_LOB_PROG_PROV_MEAS_TRNS(AARP_ORG_ID,LOB_ID,PGM_CAT_ID,PGM_ID,PROV_ID,MEAS_ID,CAT_OF_MEAS_ID,SUB_CAT_OF_MEAS_ID)
)
go
Parent Table DDL
CREATE TABLE I_IPV_LOB_PROG_PROV_MEAS_TRNS(
AARP_ORG_ID int NOT NULL,
LOB_ID int NOT NULL,
PGM_CAT_ID int NOT NULL,
PGM_ID int NOT NULL,
PROV_ID int NOT NULL,
CAT_OF_MEAS_ID int NOT NULL,
SUBCAT_OF_MEAS_ID int NOT NULL,
MEAS_ID int NOT NULL,
LOAD_DT datetime NULL,
LST_UPD_USERID char(20) NOT NULL,
LST_UPD_DT datetime NOT NULL,
CONSTRAINT PK115 PRIMARY KEY NONCLUSTERED (MEAS_ID, PROV_ID, AARP_ORG_ID, LOB_ID, PGM_ID, PGM_CAT_ID, CAT_OF_MEAS_ID, SUBCAT_OF_MEAS_ID),
CONSTRAINT RefI_IPV_LOB_PROG_CAT_PROV_TRNS322 FOREIGN KEY (PROV_ID, AARP_ORG_ID, LOB_ID, PGM_ID, PGM_CAT_ID)
REFERENCES I_IPV_LOB_PROG_CAT_PROV_TRNS(PROV_ID, AARP_ORG_ID, LOB_ID, PGM_ID, PGM_CAT_ID),
CONSTRAINT RefI_IPV_MEAS_CAT_TRNS342 FOREIGN KEY (MEAS_ID, CAT_OF_MEAS_ID, SUBCAT_OF_MEAS_ID)
REFERENCES I_IPV_MEAS_CAT_TRNS(MEAS_ID, CAT_OF_MEAS_ID, SUBCAT_OF_MEAS_ID)
)
go
Error Msg
Msg 1776, Level 16, State 0, Line 1
There are no primary or candidate keys in the referenced table 'I_IPV_LOB_PROG_PROV_MEAS_TRNS' that match the referencing column list in the foreign key 'RefI_IPV_LOB_PROG_PROV_MEAS_TRNS345'.
Msg 1750, Level 16, State 0, Line 1
Could not create constraint. See previous errors.

Answer 1

One of the fields in the target table must be its primary key (best) or be very quickly findable via some index using the at least one of nthe fields you've listed. If there are no keys in your list it will have to read the whole table to find the specific row and this is not a good thing to do, so it won't.
Create a unique index on the target table containing some/all of the fields you're constraining and it should be OK.