Normalization

Normalization

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”.

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 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.

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 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

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 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

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 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

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 Functional Dependencies
EmpNum EmpEmail EmpFname EmpLname
123 [email protected] John Doe
456 [email protected] Peter Smith
555 [email protected] Alan Lee
633 [email protected] Peter Doe
787 [email protected] Alan Lee

If EmpNum is the PK then the FDs:

EmpNum  EmpEmail
EmpNum  EmpFname
EmpNum  EmpLname
must exist.

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Functional Dependencies
EmpNum  EmpEmail
EmpNum  EmpFname 3 different ways
EmpNum  EmpLname you might see FDs
depicted
EmpEmail
EmpNum EmpFname

EmpLname

EmpNum EmpEmail EmpFname EmpLname

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 Determinant
Functional Dependency

EmpNum  EmpEmail

Attribute on the LHS is known as the determinant

• EmpNum is a determinant of EmpEmail

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 Trivial Functional Dependency

• Trivial − If a functional dependency (FD) X → Y

holds, where Y is a subset of X, then it is called
a trivial FD. Trivial FDs always hold.
• Non-trivial − If an FD X → Y holds, where Y is
not a subset of X, then it is called a non-trivial
FD.
• Completely non-trivial − If an FD X → Y holds,
where x intersect Y = Φ, it is said to be a
completely non-trivial FD.
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 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.

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 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

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 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.

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 First Normal Form
The following in not in 1NF

EmpNum EmpPhone EmpDegrees

123 233-9876
333 233-1231 BA, BSc, PhD
679 233-1231 BSc, MSc

EmpDegrees is a multi-valued field:

employee 679 has two degrees: BSc and MSc
employee 333 has three degrees: BA, BSc, PhD

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 First Normal Form
EmpNum EmpPhone EmpDegrees
123 233-9876
333 233-1231 BA, BSc, PhD
679 233-1231 BSc, MSc

To obtain 1NF relations we must, without loss of

information, replace the above with two relations -
see next slide

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 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

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Before we learn about the second normal form,
we need to understand the following −
• Key attribute − An attribute, which is a part of
the prime-key, is known as a prime attribute.
• Non-key attribute − An attribute, which is not
a part of the prime-key, is said to be a non-
prime attribute.

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 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.
•A relation in 2NF will not have any partial dependencies

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 Second Normal Form
Consider this InvLine table (in 1NF):
InvNum LineNum ProdNum Qty InvDate
InvNum, LineNum ProdNum, Qty

InvNum InvDate
InvLine is not 2NF since there is a partial
dependency of InvDate on InvNum
InvLine is
only in 1NF

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 Second Normal Form
InvLine
InvNum LineNum ProdNum Qty InvDate
The above relation has redundancies: the invoice date is
repeated on each invoice line.
We can improve the database by decomposing the relation
into two relations:
InvNum LineNum ProdNum Qty

InvNum InvDate

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 Third Normal Form
Third Normal Form
• A relation is in 3NF if the relation is in 1NF and all
determinants of non-key attributes are candidate keys
That is, for any functional dependency: X  Y, where Y is
a non-key attribute (or a set of non-key attributes), X is a
candidate key.
• This definition of 3NF differs from BCNF only in the
specification of non-key attributes - 3NF is weaker than
BCNF. (BCNF requires all determinants to be candidate
keys.)
• A relation in 3NF will not have any transitive dependencies

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 Third Normal Form
Consider this Employee relation

EmpNum EmpName DeptNum DeptName

EmpName, DeptNum, and DeptName are non-key attributes.

DeptNum determines DeptName, a non-key attribute, and
DeptNum is not a candidate key.

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 Third Normal Form
EmpNum EmpName DeptNum DeptName

We correct the situation by decomposing the original relation

into two 3NF relations. Note the decomposition is lossless.

EmpNum EmpName DeptNum DeptNum DeptName

Verify these two relations are in 3NF.

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 The Boyce-Codd Normal Form

• A relational schema R is considered to be

in Boyce–Codd normal form (BCNF) if, for
every one of its dependencies X → Y, one of
the following conditions holds true:
• X → Y is a trivial functional dependency (i.e., Y
is a subset of X)
• X is a superkey for schema R

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 Types of keys in DBMS

• Primary Key – A primary is a column or set of

columns in a table that uniquely identifies
tuples (rows) in that table.
• Super Key – A super key is a set of one of
more columns (attributes) to uniquely identify
rows in a table.
• Candidate Key – A super key with no
redundant attribute is known as candidate key

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• Alternate Key – Out of all candidate keys, only one
gets selected as primary key, remaining keys are
known as alternate or secondary keys.
• Composite Key – A key that consists of more than
one attribute to uniquely identify rows (also known
as records & tuples) in a table is called composite
key.
• Foreign Key – Foreign keys are the columns of a
table that points to the primary key of another table.
They act as a cross-reference between tables.
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