A reference type is a companion type to a structured type. Similar to a distinct type, a reference type is a scalar type that shares a common representation with one of the built-in data types. This same representation is shared for all types in the type hierarchy. The reference type representation is defined when the root type of a type hierarchy is created. When using a reference type, a structured type is specified as a parameter of the type. This parameter is called the target type of the reference.
The target of a reference is always a row in a typed table or view. When a reference type is used, it may have a scope defined. The scope identifies a table (called the target table) or view (called the target view) that contains the target row of a reference value. The target table or view must have the same type as the target type of the reference type. An instance of a scoped reference type uniquely identifies a row in a typed table or typed view, called the target row.