Introduction to Relational

Databases
Chapter 5- Normalisation

Slides adopted from:

Database Design for mere Mortals
Michael L. Hernandez
, 4th edition 1
 Outline of Today’s Lecture
• Entity integrity: selecting primary keys

• Database tables and normalization

• The need for normalization

• Functional Dependency

• The normalization process

2
 Entity Integrity: Selecting Primary Keys

• Primary keys: single attribute or a combination of attributes

• Uniquely identifies each entity instance

• Guarantees entity integrity

• Works with foreign keys to implement relationships

3
 Natural Keys and Primary Keys

• Natural key or natural identifier: real-world identifier used to uniquely identify real-world
objects

• Familiar to end users and forms part of their day-to-day business vocabulary

• Used as the primary key of the entity being modeled

4
 Primary Key Guidelines

• Desirable primary key characteristics

• Non intelligent

• No change over time

• Preferably single-attribute

• Preferably numeric

• Security-compliant

5
 When to Use Composite Primary Keys

• Identifiers of composite entities

• Each primary key combination is allowed once in M:N relationship

• Identifiers of weak entities

• Strong identifying relationship with the parent entity

• Represents a real-world object that is existence-dependent on another real-world object

• Represented in the data model as two separate entities in a strong identifying relationship

6
 The M:N Relationship Between Student and Class

(Coronel & Morris, 2015, p.179) 7

 Dependencies

• Determination
• State in which knowing the value of one attribute makes it possible to determine the
value of another
• Establishes the role of a key
• Based on the relationships among the attributes
• Functional dependence: value of one or more attributes determines the value of one or
more other attributes
• Determinant: attribute whose value determines another
• Dependent: attribute whose value is determined by the other attribute
• Full functional dependence: entire collection of attributes in the determinant is necessary
for the relationship

8
 Types of Keys

• Keys used in the relational model

• Composite key: key composed of more than one attribute

• Key attribute: attribute that is a part of a key
• Superkey: can uniquely identify any row in the table
• Candidate key: minimal superkey
• Entity integrity: condition in which each row in the table has its own unique identity
• All of the values in the primary key must be unique
• No key attribute in the primary key can contain a null

9
 Types of Keys Continued …

• Keys used in the relational model …

• Null: absence of any data value

• Unknown attribute value, known but missing attribute value, or inapplicable condition

• Referential integrity: every reference to an entity instance by another entity instance is valid

• Foreign key: primary key of one table that has been placed into another table to create a
common attribute

• Secondary key: key used strictly for data retrieval purposes

10
 Database Tables and Normalization

• Normalization: evaluating and correcting table structures to minimize data redundancies

• Reduces data anomalies

• Assigns attributes to tables based on determination

• Normal forms

• First normal form (1NF)

• Second normal form (2NF)

• Third normal form (3NF)

11
 Database Tables and Normalization Continued

• Structural point of view of normal forms

• Higher normal forms are better than lower normal forms

• Properly designed 3NF structures meet the requirement of fourth normal form (4NF)

• Denormalization: produces a lower normal form

• Results in increased performance and greater data redundancy

12
 The Need for Normalization

• Used while designing a new database structure

• Analyzes the relationship among the attributes within each entity

• Determines if the structure can be improved through normalization

• Improves the existing data structure and creates an appropriate database design

13
 The Normalization Process

• Objective is to ensure that each table conforms to the concept of well-formed relations

• Each table represents a single subject

• Each row/column intersection contains only one value and not a group of values

• No data item will be unnecessarily stored in more than one table

• All nonprime attributes in a table are dependent on the primary key

• Each table has no insertion, update, or deletion anomalies

14
 The Normalization Process

• Ensures that all tables are in at least 3NF

• Higher forms are not likely to be encountered in business environment

• Works one relation at a time

• Identifies the dependencies of a relation (table)

• Progressively breaks the relation up into a new set of relations

15
The Normalization Process

16
 Functional Dependency

• A functional dependency occurs when the value of one (set of) attribute(s) determines the
value of a
second (set of) attribute(s):
StudentID → StudentName
StudentID → (DormName, DormRoom, Fee)

• The attribute on the left side of the functional dependency is called the determinant.

• Functional dependencies may be based on equations:

ExtendedPrice = Quantity X UnitPrice
(Quantity, UnitPrice) → ExtendedPrice

17
 Composite Determinants

• Composite determinant = a determinant of a functional dependency that consists

of more than one attribute

(StudentName, ClassName) → (Grade)

18
 The Normalization Process
• Partial dependency: functional dependence in which the determinant is only part of the primary key
• Assumption: one candidate key
• Straight forward
• Easy to identify

• Transitive dependency: attribute is dependent on another attribute that is not part of the primary
key
• More difficult to identify among a set of data
• Occur only when a functional dependence exists among nonprime attributes

19
 Conversion to First Normal Form (1NF)
• Repeating group: group of multiple entries of same type can exist for any single key
attribute occurrence
• Reduces data redundancies
• Three step procedure
• Eliminate the repeating groups
• Identify the primary key
• Identify all dependencies
• Dependency diagram: depicts all dependencies found within given table structure
• Overview of all relationships among table’s attributes
• Less likely that an important dependency will be overlooked

20
 Conversion to First Normal Form (1NF)

• 1NF describes tabular format in which:

• All key attributes are defined
• There are no repeating groups in the table
• All attributes are dependent on the primary key

• All relational tables satisfy 1NF requirements

• Some tables contain partial dependencies

• Update, insertion, or deletion
21
 Employee Project

Conversion to Emp_Id

123456
Name

Smith John
Pnumber

1
Hours

32.5

First Normal 333444 Wang

2

2
7.5

10

Form- Examples Franklin

3

10
10

10

20 10

1 8

22
Conversion to First Normal Form- Result
Emp_Id Name

113456 SMITH JOHN

333444 Wang Franklin

Emp_Id Pnumber Hours

123456 1 32.5

123456 2 7.5

333444 1 8

333444 2 10

333444 3 10

23
 Conversion to Second Normal Form (2NF)
• Conversion to 2NF occurs only when the 1NF has a composite primary key
• If the 1NF has a single-attribute primary key, then the table is automatically in 2NF

• The 1NF-to-2NF conversion is simple

• Make new tables to eliminate partial dependencies

• Reassign corresponding dependent attributes

• Table is in 2NF when it:

• Is in 1NF

• Includes no partial dependencies

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Dependency Diagram

(Coronel & Morris, 2015, p.208)

25
 Second Normal
Form Second
Normal Form (2NF)
Conversion Results

(Coronel & Morris, 2015, p.211)

26
 Conversion to Third Normal Form (3NF)

• The data anomalies created by the database organization shown in on previous

slide are easily eliminated
• Make new tables to eliminate transitive dependencies
• Reassign corresponding dependent attributes

• Table is in 3NF when it:

• Is in 2NF
• Contains no transitive dependencies

27
Third Normal
Form (3NF)
Conversion
Results

(Coronel & Morris, 2015, p.212)

28
 The Boyce-Codd Normal Form

• Every determinant in the table should be a candidate key

• Candidate key: same characteristics as primary key but not chosen to be

the primary key

• Equivalent to 3NF when the table contains only one candidate key

• Violated only when the table contains more than one candidate key

• Considered to be a special case of 3NF

29
 A Table That is in 3NF but Not
In BCNF

(Coronel & Morris, 2015, p.220) 30

 Conversion
to BCNF

• (Coronel & Morris, 2015, p.221)

31
 Fourth Normal Form (4NF)
• Rules

• All attributes must be dependent on the primary key, but they must be independent of
each other

• No row may contain two or more multivalued facts about an entity

• Table is in 4NF when it:

• Is in 3NF

• Has no multivalued dependencies

32
 Tables With
Multivalued
Dependencies

• (Coronel & Morris, 2015, p.222) 33

 Normalization and Database Design

• Normalization should be part of the design process

• Proposed entities must meet required the normal form before table structures are created

• Principles and normalization procedures to be understood to redesign and modify databases

• ERD is created through an iterative process

• Normalization focuses on the characteristics of specific entities

34
 Denormalization
• Design goals

• Creation of normalized relations

• Processing requirements and speed

• Number of database tables expands

• Tables are decomposed to conform to normalization requirements

35
 Denormalization Continued …
• Joining a larger number of tables

• Takes additional input/output (I/O) operations and processing logic

• Reduces system speed

• Defects in unnormalized tables

• Data updates are less efficient because tables are larger

• Indexing is more cumbersome

• No simple strategies for creating virtual tables known as views

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Any Questions

37