Normalization
Presented By:
Manisha Gupta
Normalization
Normalization
There are four normal forms: first, second, third, and
Boyce-Codd normal forms.
1NF, 2NF, 3NF, and BCNF
Normalization is a process that “improves” a database
design by generating relations that are of higher normal
forms.
The objective of normalization:
“to create relations where every dependency is on the key,
the whole key, and nothing but the key”.
91.2914 2
Normalization
There is a sequence to normal forms:
1NF is considered the weakest,
2NF is stronger than 1NF,
3NF is stronger than 2NF, and
BCNF is considered the strongest
Also,
any relation that is in BCNF, is in 3NF;
any relation in 3NF is in 2NF; and
any relation in 2NF is in 1NF.
91.2914 3
Normalization
1NF a relation in BCNF, is also
in 3NF
2NF a relation in 3NF is also in
2NF
3NF
a relation in 2NF is also in
1NF
BCNF
91.2914 4
Normalization
We consider a relation in BCNF to be fully normalized.
The benefit of higher normal forms is that update semantics for
the affected data are simplified.
This means that applications required to maintain the database
are simpler.
A design that has a lower normal form than another design has
more redundancy. Uncontrolled redundancy can lead to data
integrity problems.
First we introduce the concept of functional dependency
May 2005 91.2914 5
Functional Dependencies
Functional Dependencies
We say an attribute, B, has a functional dependency on
another attribute, A, if for any two records, which have
the same value for A, then the values for B in these two
records must be the same. We illustrate this as:
A B
Example: Suppose we keep track of employee email
addresses, and we only track one email address for each
employee. Suppose each employee is identified by their
unique employee number. We say there is a functional
dependency of email address on employee number:
employee number email address
91.2914 6
Functional Dependencies
EmpNu EmpEmai EmpFnam EmpLnam
m 123 jdoe@[Link]
l e Joh e Do
456 psmith@[Link] Peter
n Smith
e
555 alee1@[Link] Ala Lee
633 pdoe@[Link] Peter
n Do
787 alee2@[Link] Ala eLee
n
If EmpNum is the PK then the FDs:
EmpNum EmpEmail
EmpNum EmpFname
EmpNum EmpLname
must exist.
91.2914 7
Functional Dependencies
EmpNum EmpEmail
EmpNum EmpFname 3 different ways
EmpNum EmpLname you might see FDs
depicted
EmpEmail
EmpNum EmpFname
EmpLname
EmpNum EmpEmail EmpFname EmpLname
91.2914 8
Determinant
Functional Dependency
EmpNum EmpEmail
Attribute on the LHS is known as the determinant
• EmpNum is a determinant of EmpEmail
91.2914 9
Transitive dependency
Transitive dependency
Consider attributes A, B, and C, and where
A B and B C.
Functional dependencies are transitive, which
means that we also have the functional dependency
A C
We say that C is transitively dependent on A
through B.
91.2914 10
Transitive dependency
EmpNum DeptNum
EmpNum EmpEmail DeptNum DeptNname
DeptNum DeptName
EmpNum EmpEmail DeptNum DeptNname
DeptName is transitively dependent on EmpNum via DeptNum
EmpNum DeptName
91.2914 11
Partial dependency
A partial dependency exists when an attribute B is
functionally dependent on an attribute A, and A is a
component of a multipart candidate key.
InvNum LineNum Qty InvDate
Candidate keys: {InvNum, LineNum} InvDate is
partially dependent on {InvNum, LineNum} as
InvNum is a determinant of InvDate and InvNum is
part of a candidate key
91.2914 12
First Normal Form
First Normal Form
We say a relation is in 1NF if all values stored in the
relation are single-valued and atomic.
1NF places restrictions on the structure of relations.
Values must be simple.
91.2914 13
First Normal Form
The following in not in 1NF
EmpNu EmpPhon EmpDegrees
m 123 e233-9876
333 233-1231 BA, BSc,
679 233-1231 BSc,
PhD
MSc
EmpDegrees is a multi-valued field:
employee 679 has two degrees: BSc and MSc
employee 333 has three degrees: BA, BSc, PhD
91.2914 14
First Normal Form
EmpNu EmpPhon EmpDegrees
m 123 e233-9876
333 233-1231 BA, BSc,
679 233-1231 BSc,
PhD MSc
To obtain 1NF relations we must, without loss of
information, replace the above with two relations -
see next slide
91.2914 15
First Normal Form
EmployeeDegree
Employee
EmpNum EmpDegree
EmpNum EmpPhone
333 BA
123 233-9876
333 BSc
333 233-1231
333 PhD
679 233-1231
679 BSc
679 MSc
An outer join between Employee and EmployeeDegree will
produce the information we saw before
91.2914 16
Second Normal Form
Second Normal Form
A relation is in 2NF if it is in 1NF, and every non-key attribute
is fully dependent on each candidate key. (That is, we don’t
have any partial functional dependency.)
• 2NF (and 3NF) both involve the concepts of key and
non-key attributes.
• A key attribute is any attribute that is part of a key; any
attribute that is not a key attribute, is a non-key attribute.
• Relations that are not in BCNF have data redundancies
• A relation in 2NF will not have any partial dependencies
91.2914 17
Second Normal Form
Consider this InvLine table (in 1NF):
InvNum LineNum ProdNum Qty InvDate
InvNum, LineNum ProdNum, Qty
There are two
candidate keys.
Qty is the only
non-key attribute, and
InvNum InvDate
it is dependent on
Since there is a determinant that is not aInvNum
candidate key, InvLine is not BCNF
InvLine is
InvLine is not 2NF since there is a partial only in 1NF
dependency of InvDate on InvNum
91.2914 18
