The error occurs when a DELETE or UPDATE conflicts with a foreign-key constraint defined with RESTRICT behavior because dependent rows still exist.
PostgreSQL restrict_violation (SQLSTATE 23001) means you tried to delete or update a parent row while child rows still reference it through a RESTRICT foreign-key. Remove or reassign the child rows, or alter the constraint, to clear the error.
restrict_violation
The restrict_violation error is PostgreSQL’s way of enforcing referential integrity. It fires when a row that other tables reference is deleted or updated while the foreign-key constraint is defined with ON DELETE RESTRICT or ON UPDATE RESTRICT.
The database blocks the action to protect data consistency.
Fixing the issue quickly matters because half-executed transactions may hold locks, slow queries, or break application logic.
SQLSTATE 23001 is the standard code for a restrict_violation. The first two digits (23) signal an integrity-constraint failure.
The 001 class member identifies a restriction imposed by a foreign-key rule.
The error appears during DELETE, UPDATE, TRUNCATE, or MERGE statements that touch a primary-key row referenced by at least one foreign-key row whose action is set to RESTRICT.
Leaving the violation unresolved blocks the transaction and any concurrent locks. Applications may see timeouts, and batch jobs can halt.
Cleaning up the dependency chain or adjusting constraints restores smooth operation.
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Yes, by changing the foreign-key to ON DELETE CASCADE or by deleting child rows first. Forcing without cleanup risks broken references.
TRUNCATE will fail unless you add CASCADE to the statement or drop the referencing constraints temporarily.
No. PostgreSQL defaults to NO ACTION, which defers the check until transaction commit. RESTRICT checks immediately.
Galaxy visualizes constraint chains and its AI suggests the correct delete sequence or generates ALTER statements, preventing runtime errors.
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