This post is about how to normalize a relational database. You can read a post as an introduction to relational databases.
In the context of relational databases, normalization goal is a procedure to reduce redundancy and avoid issues while updating in relational databases.
Regarding normalization, relational databases could have three levels of normal forms:
- First normal form (1NF)
- Second normal form (2NF)
- Third normal form (3NF)
The third normal form is the most strict of all normal forms.
In First Normal Form (1NF), the information is stored in a relational table with each column containing atomic values. There are no repeating groups of columns. “Atomic value” means that each column hold a single value (excluding, for example, comma-separated values).
In Second Normal Form (2NF), the table is in first normal form and all the columns depend on the table’s primary key.
In Third Normal Form (3NF), the table is in second normal form and all of its columns are not transitively dependent on the primary key. It means that all columns should have direct relation to the primary key, and not through another column in the table.
Steps to normalize a Database
Please follow this link, where it is very well explained how to normalize a database:
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External references
- “Database Normalization“; Essential SQL; 2021-05-08.