What type of association allows an ArcGIS user to delete associated records when a primary record is deleted?

The ability to delete associated records when a primary record is deleted is characteristic of a relationship class in ArcGIS. A relationship class establishes a model of how two or more objects are related to each other within a geodatabase. Specifically, it defines not just the link between records in different tables, but also the behavior that occurs when records are modified.

When a relationship class is configured with a specific cardinality, such as one-to-many or many-to-many, it allows you to define cascading delete options. This means that if a primary record is deleted, all related records that fall under that primary record are also removed automatically. This is beneficial for maintaining data integrity and ensuring that orphaned records are not left behind after a primary entity is deleted.

In contrast, joins and relates do not have this automatic deletion feature. Joins temporarily combine data from different tables in a way that does not affect the original tables, and relates create a link that allows users to view associated data without altering the relationship between the original records. Additionally, spatial joins are focused on combining attributes based on spatial relationships rather than structural or referential integrity, thus they also do not enforce the deletion of associated records. Therefore, the relationship class is the correct answer as it provides the necessary