Normalization

Functional Dependency

The functional dependency is a relationship that exists between two attributes. It typically
exists between the primary key and non-key attribute within a table. A functional
dependency is denoted by an arrow (→). If an attribute A functionally determines B, then
it is written as A → B.

For example, employee_id → name means employee_id functionally determines the

name of the employee

What does functionally dependent mean?

A function dependency A → B means for all instances of a particular value of A, there is
the same value of B. For example in the below table A → B is true, but B → A is not true
as there are different values of A for B = 3.

A B

------

1 3

2 3

4 0

1 3

4 0

Types of Functional dependency

Trivial Functional Dependency

A → B has trivial functional dependency if B is a subset of A.

Example-

ABC → AB

ABC → A

ABC → ABC

Non - Trivial Functional Dependency

A → B has a non-trivial functional dependency if B is not a subset of A.

When A intersection B is NULL, then A → B is called as complete non-trivial.

Example:

ID → Name,
Name → DOB

Advantages of Functional Dependency-

• The database’s data quality is maintained using it.

• It communicates the database design’s facts.

• It aids in precisely outlining the limitations and implications of databases.

• It is useful to recognize poor designs.

• Finding the potential keys in the relationship is the first step in

the normalization procedure. Identifying potential keys and normalizing the

database without functional dependencies is impossible.
Normalization :-

A large database defined as a single relation may result in data duplication. This repetition
of data may result in:

o Making relations very large.

o It isn't easy to maintain and update data as it would involve searching many records
in relation.
o Wastage and poor utilization of disk space and resources.
o The likelihood of errors and inconsistencies increases.

So to handle these problems, we should analyze and decompose the relations with
redundant data into smaller, simpler, and well-structured relations that are satisfy desirable
properties. Normalization is a process of decomposing the relations into relations with
fewer attributes.

What is Normalization?
o Normalization is the process of organizing the attributes of the database to reduce
or eliminate data redundancy (having the same data but at different places).
o It is also used to eliminate undesirable characteristics like Insertion, Update, and
Deletion Anomalies.
o Normalization divides the larger table into smaller and links them using relationships.
o The normal form is used to reduce redundancy from the database table.

Data modification anomalies can be categorized into three types:

o Insertion Anomaly: Insertion Anomaly refers to when one cannot insert a new tuple
into a relationship due to lack of data.
o Deletion Anomaly: The delete anomaly refers to the situation where the deletion of
data results in the unintended loss of some other important data.
o Updatation Anomaly: The update anomaly is when an update of a single data value
requires multiple rows of data to be updated.

The features of database normalization are as follows:

Elimination of Data Redundancy: One of the main features of normalization is to

eliminate the data redundancy that can occur in a database. Data redundancy refers to
the repetition of data in different parts of the database. Normalization helps in reducing
or eliminating this redundancy, which can improve the efficiency and consistency of the
database.

Ensuring Data Consistency: Normalization helps in ensuring that the data in the
database is consistent and accurate. By eliminating redundancy, normalization helps in
preventing inconsistencies and contradictions that can arise due to different versions of
the same data.

Simplification of Data Management: Normalization simplifies the process of managing

data in a database. By breaking down a complex data structure into simpler tables,
normalization makes it easier to manage the data, update it, and retrieve it.

Improved Database Design: Normalization helps in improving the overall design of the
database. By organizing the data in a structured and systematic way, normalization makes
it easier to design and maintain the database. It also makes the database more flexible
and adaptable to changing business needs.

Avoiding Update Anomalies: Normalization helps in avoiding update anomalies, which

can occur when updating a single record in a table affects multiple records in other tables.
Normalization ensures that each table contains only one type of data and that the
relationships between the tables are clearly defined, which helps in avoiding such
anomalies.

Standardization: Normalization helps in standardizing the data in the database. By

organizing the data into tables and defining relationships between them, normalization
helps in ensuring that the data is stored in a consistent and uniform manner.
Normalization is an important process in database design that helps in improving the
efficiency, consistency, and accuracy of the database.

Advantages of Normalization
o Normalization helps to minimize data redundancy.
o Greater overall database organization.
o Data consistency within the database.
o Much more flexible database design.
o Enforces the concept of relational integrity.

Disadvantages of Normalization
o You cannot start building the database before knowing what the user needs.
o The performance degrades when normalizing the relations to higher normal forms,
i.e., 4NF, 5NF.
 o It is very time-consuming and difficult to normalize relations of a higher degree.
o Careless decomposition may lead to a bad database design, leading to serious
problems.

Types of Normal Forms:

Normalization works through a series of stages called Normal forms. The normal forms
apply to individual relations. The relation is said to be in particular normal form if it satisfies
constraints.

Following are the various types of Normal forms:

Normal Form Description

1NF A relation is in 1NF if it contains an atomic value.

2NF A relation will be in 2NF if it is in 1NF and all non-key attributes are
fully functional dependent on the primary key.

3NF A relation will be in 3NF if it is in 2NF and no transition dependency

exists.

BCNF A stronger definition of 3NF is known as Boyce Codd's normal form.

4NF A relation will be in 4NF if it is in Boyce Codd's normal form and has
no multi-valued dependency.

5NF A relation is in 5NF. If it is in 4NF and does not contain any join
dependency, joining should be lossless.
First Normal Form (1NF) :-

If a relation contain composite or multi-valued attribute, it violates first normal form or a

relation is in first normal form if it does not contain any composite or multi-valued
attribute. A relation is in first normal form if every attribute in that relation is singled
valued attribute.

o All the record in the table should be unique.

o Each table cell should contain only one value.

Example: Relation EMPLOYEE is not in 1NF because of multi-valued attribute EMP_PHONE.

EMPLOYEE table:

EMP_ID EMP_NAME EMP_PHONE EMP_STATE

14 John 7272826385, UP
9064738238

20 Harry 8574783832 Bihar

12 Sam 7390372389, Punjab

8589830302

The decomposition of the EMPLOYEE table into 1NF has been shown below:

EMP_ID EMP_NAME EMP_PHONE EMP_STATE

14 John 7272826385 UP

14 John 9064738238 UP

20 Harry 8574783832 Bihar

12 Sam 7390372389 Punjab

12 Sam 8589830302 Punjab

Second Normal Form (2NF) :-

o In the 2NF, relational must be in 1NF.

o In the second normal form, all non-key attributes are fully functional dependent on
the primary key

Example: Let's assume, a school can store the data of teachers and the subjects they teach.
In a school, a teacher can teach more than one subject.

TEACHER table

TEACHER_ID SUBJECT TEACHER_AGE

25 Chemistry 30

25 Biology 30

47 English 35

83 Math 38

83 Computer 38

In the given table, non-prime attribute TEACHER_AGE is dependent on TEACHER_ID which

is a proper subset of a candidate key. That's why it violates the rule for 2NF.

To convert the given table into 2NF, we decompose it into two tables:

TEACHER_DETAIL table:

TEACHER_ID TEACHER_AGE

25 30

47 35

83 38
TEACHER_SUBJECT table:

TEACHER_ID SUBJECT

25 Chemistry

25 Biology

47 English

83 Math

83 Computer

Third Normal Form (3NF) :-

o A relation will be in 3NF if it is in 2NF and not contain any transitive partial
dependency.
o 3NF is used to reduce the data duplication. It is also used to achieve the data
integrity.
o If there is no transitive dependency for non-prime attributes, then the relation must
be in third normal form.

A relation is in third normal form if it holds atleast one of the following conditions for every
non-trivial function dependency X → Y.

1. X is a super key.
2. Y is a prime attribute, i.e., each element of Y is part of some candidate key.

Example:

EMPLOYEE_DETAIL table:

EMP_ID EMP_NAME EMP_ZIP EMP_STATE EMP_CITY

222 Harry 201010 UP Noida

333 Stephan 02228 US Boston

444 Lan 60007 US Chicago

555 Katharine 06389 UK Norwich

666 John 462007 MP Bhopal

Super key in the table above:

{EMP_ID}, {EMP_ID, EMP_NAME}, {EMP_ID, EMP_NAME, EMP_ZIP}....

Candidate key: {EMP_ID}

Non-prime attributes: In the given table, all attributes except EMP_ID are non-prime.

Here, EMP_STATE & EMP_CITY dependent on EMP_ZIP and EMP_ZIP dependent on

EMP_ID. The non-prime attributes (EMP_STATE, EMP_CITY) transitively dependent on
super key(EMP_ID). It violates the rule of third normal form.

That's why we need to move the EMP_CITY and EMP_STATE to the new
<EMPLOYEE_ZIP> table, with EMP_ZIP as a Primary key.

EMPLOYEE table:

EMP_ID EMP_NAME EMP_ZIP

222 Harry 201010

333 Stephan 02228

444 Lan 60007

555 Katharine 06389

666 John 462007

EMPLOYEE_ZIP table:

EMP_ZIP EMP_STATE EMP_CITY

201010 UP Noida

02228 US Boston

60007 US Chicago

06389 UK Norwich

462007 MP Bhopal
Boyce Codd normal form (BCNF) :-

o BCNF is the advance version of 3NF. It is stricter than 3NF.

o A table is in BCNF if every functional dependency X → Y, X is the super key of the

table.

o For BCNF, the table should be in 3NF, and for every FD, LHS is super key.

Example: Let's assume there is a company where employees work in more than one
department.

EMPLOYEE table:

EMP_ID EMP_COUNTRY EMP_DEPT DEPT_TYPE EMP_DEPT_NO

264 India Designing D394 283

264 India Testing D394 300

364 UK Stores D283 232

364 UK Developing D283 549

In the above table Functional dependencies are as follows:

EMP_ID → EMP_COUNTRY
EMP_DEPT → {DEPT_TYPE, EMP_DEPT_NO}

Candidate key: {EMP-ID, EMP-DEPT}

The table is not in BCNF because neither EMP_DEPT nor EMP_ID alone are keys.

To convert the given table into BCNF, we decompose it into three tables:

EMP_COUNTRY table:

EMP_ID EMP_COUNTRY

264 India

264 India
EMP_DEPT table:

EMP_DEPT DEPT_TYPE EMP_DEPT_NO

Designing D394 283

Testing D394 300

Stores D283 232

Developing D283 549

EMP_DEPT_MAPPING table:

EMP_ID EMP_DEPT

D394 283

D394 300

D283 232

D283 549

Functional dependencies:

1. EMP_ID → EMP_COUNTRY
2. EMP_DEPT → {DEPT_TYPE, EMP_DEPT_NO}

Candidate keys:

For the first table: EMP_ID

For the second table: EMP_DEPT
For the third table: {EMP_ID, EMP_DEPT}

Now, this is in BCNF because left side part of both the functional dependencies is a key.

Fourth normal form (4NF) :-

o A relation will be in 4NF if it is in Boyce Codd normal form and has no multi-valued

dependency.
 o For a dependency A → B, if for a single value of A, multiple values of B exists, then
the relation will be a multi-valued dependency.

Fifth normal form (5NF):-

o A relation is in 5NF if it is in 4NF and not contains any join dependency and joining
should be lossless.

o 5NF is satisfied when all the tables are broken into as many tables as possible in
order to avoid redundancy.