The condition of a database in which all data values are correct, in the sense

1. (a) of reflecting the state of the real world—within given constraints of accuracy and timeliness—and

2. (b) of obeying rules of mutual consistency.

The maintenance of database integrity involves integrity checking, and recovery from any incorrect state that may be detected; this is the responsibility of database administration using the facilities of a database management system.

File integrity can be defined in similar terms. Typically, however, files are subject to less extensive integrity checking than databases.