Can you delete data from a child table if it is not deleted from the parent table?

In relational databases, a child table typically has a foreign key that references a primary key in the parent table. The foreign key constraint enforces referential integrity, ensuring that every value in the child column exists in the parent column. If you attempt to delete a row from the child table while the corresponding parent row still exists, the delete is allowed because the child row no longer references the parent. However, if you try to delete the parent row while child rows still reference it, the database will block the delete unless you have specified a cascading action. The default action is RESTRICT (or NO ACTION), which prevents the parent delete. You can change this behavior to CASCADE, SET NULL, or SET DEFAULT. Therefore, you can delete child rows independently of the parent, but deleting a parent row requires handling or removing dependent child rows first.