What are triggers in SQL databases?

Triggers in SQL databases are indeed automated responses to specific events that occur within the database. They are designed to execute automatically in response to certain actions, such as inserting, updating, or deleting records in a table. This automatic execution helps maintain data integrity, enforce business rules, and log changes without the need for manual intervention.

For example, a trigger can be set up to automatically update a timestamp column whenever a record is modified. This provides a way to programmatically enforce rules and perform additional operations, such as validating data or sending notifications, without requiring the application code to handle these tasks explicitly each time a relevant action occurs.

Triggers enhance the functionality of SQL databases significantly by allowing for systematic, reliable responses to data changes, which makes them a powerful feature for developers and database administrators.