What is normalization?
The process by which we efficiently
organize data to achieve these goals:
Eliminating redundancy
Ensuring data is stored in the correct
table
Eliminating need for restructuring
database when data is added
Five levels of normal form
In order to achieve one level or normal
form, each previous
THIRD NORMAL level must
FORM IS SUFFICIENT beTYPICAL
FOR MOST met
DATABASE APPLICATIONS
First Normal Form (1NF)
There are no repeating or duplicate fields
Each cell contains only a single value
Each records is unique.
Identified by primary key
Example
Item Colors Price Tax
T-shirt Red 12.00 0.60
T-shirt Blue 12.00 0.60
Polo Red 12.00 0.60
Polo Yellow 12.00 0.60
Sweatshirt Blue 25.00 1.25
Sweatshirt black 25.00 1.25
Table is now in first normal form
Second Normal Form (2NF)
All non-key fields depend on all
components of the primary key
Guaranteed when primary key is a
single field.
Example
Item Colors Price Tax
T-shirt Red 12.00 0.60
T-shirt Blue 12.00 0.60
Polo Red 12.00 0.60
Polo Yellow 12.00 0.60
Sweatshirt Blue 25.00 1.25
Sweatshirt black 25.00 1.25
Table is not in second normal form
because:
Price and tax depend on item, but not
in color
Example:
Item Color Item Price Tax
T-shirt Red T-shirt 12.00 0.60
T-shirt Blue Polo 12.00 0.60
Polo Red Sweatshir 25.00 1.25
Polo Yellow t
Sweatshirt Blue
Sweatshirt black
Tables are now in second normal form
Third Normal Form (3NF)
No non-key field depends upon
another
All non-key fields depend only on the
primary key.
Example:
Item Color Item Price Tax
T-shirt Red T-shirt 12.00 0.60
T-shirt Blue Polo 12.00 0.60
Polo Red Sweatshir 25.00 1.25
Polo Yellow t
Sweatshirt Blue
Sweatshirt black
Tables are not in third normal form
because:
Tax depends on price, not item
Example:
Item Color Item Price Tax
T-shirt Red T-shirt 12.00 0.60
T-shirt Blue Polo 12.00 0.60
Polo Red Sweatshir 25.00 1.25
Polo Yellow t
Sweatshirt Blue
Sweatshirt black Price Tax
12.00 0.60
25.00 1.25
Tables are now in third normal form
Another Example
Name Assignment1 Assignment2
Jeff Smith Article Poetry Analysis
Summary
Nancy Jones Article Reaction
Summary Paper
Jane Scott Article Poetry Analysis
Table is not in first normal form because:
Summary
Assignment field repeating
First and last name in one field
No (guaranteed unique) primary key
field
Example:
AssingmentID Color Assignment StudentID
1 Article Id
summary 1 1
2 Poetry analysis 1 2
3 Reaction paper 1 3
2 1
StudentI First Last 2 3
D name name 3 2
1 Jeff Smith
2 Nancy Jones
3 Jane Scott
Tables are now in third normal form