Chapter 28: Advanced Relational

Database Design

Database System Concepts, 7th Ed.

©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
See www.db-book.com for conditions on re-use
 Outline

 Reasoning with MVDs

 Higher normal forms
• Join dependencies and PJNF
• DKNF

Database System Concepts - 7th Edition 28.2 ©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
 Theory of Multivalued Dependencies
 Let D denote a set of functional and multivalued dependencies. The
closure D+ of D is the set of all functional and multivalued
dependencies logically implied by D.
 Sound and complete inference rules for functional and multivalued
dependencies:
1. Reflexivity rule. If α is a set of attributes and β ⊆ α, then α →β
holds.
2. Augmentation rule. If α → β holds and γ is a set of attributes,
then γ α→γ β holds.
3. Transitivity rule. If α → β holds and β →γ holds, then α →γ holds.

Database System Concepts - 7th Edition 28.3 ©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
 Theory of Multivalued Dependencies (Cont.)

4. Complementation rule. If α β holds, then α R–β–α

holds.
5. Multivalued augmentation rule. If α β holds and γ ⊆ R and δ
⊆ γ, then γ α δ β holds.
6. Multivalued transitivity rule. If α β holds and β γ holds,
then α γ – β holds.
7. Replication rule. If α β holds, then α β.
8. Coalescence rule. If α β holds and γ ⊆ β and there is a δ
such that δ ⊆ R and δ ∩ β = ∅ and δ γ, then α γ holds.

Database System Concepts - 7th Edition 28.4 ©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
 Simplification of the Computation of D+

 We can simplify the computation of the closure of D by using the

following rules (proved using rules 1-8).
• Multivalued union rule. If α β holds and α γ holds, then
α βγ holds.
• Intersection rule. If α β holds and α γ holds, then α β∩γ
holds.
• Difference rule. If If α β holds and α γ holds, then α β–γ
holds and α γ – β holds.

Database System Concepts - 7th Edition 28.5 ©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
 Example

 R = (A, B, C, G, H, I)
D = {A B
B HI
CG H}

 Some members of D+:

• A CGHI.
Since A B, the complementation rule (4) implies that
A R – B – A.
Since R – B – A = CGHI, so A CGHI.
• A HI.
Since A B and B HI, the multivalued transitivity
rule (6) implies that B HI – B.
Since HI – B = HI, A HI.

Database System Concepts - 7th Edition 28.6 ©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
 Example (Cont.)
 Some members of D+ (cont.):
• B H.
Apply the coalescence rule (8); B HI holds.
Since H ⊆ HI and CG H and CG ∩ HI = Ø, the
coalescence rule is satisfied with α being B, β being HI, δ being
CG, and γ being H. We conclude that B H.
• A CG.
A CGHI and A HI.
By the difference rule, A CGHI – HI.
Since CGHI – HI = CG, A CG.

Database System Concepts - 7th Edition 28.7 ©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
 Normalization Using Join Dependencies

 Join dependencies constrain the set of legal relations over a schema R to

those relations for which a given decomposition is a lossless-join
decomposition.
 Let R be a relation schema and R1 , R2 ,..., Rn be a decomposition of R. If
R = R1 ∪ R2 ∪ …. ∪ Rn, we say that a relation r(R) satisfies the join
dependency *(R1 , R2 ,..., Rn) if:
r =∏R1 (r) ⋈ ∏R2 (r) ⋈ …… ⋈ ∏Rn(r)
A join dependency is trivial if one of the Ri is R itself.
 A join dependency *(R1, R2) is equivalent to the multivalued dependency
R1 ∩ R2 R2. Conversely, α β is equivalent to *(α ∪(R - β), α ∪
β)
 However, there are join dependencies that are not equivalent to any
multivalued dependency.

Database System Concepts - 7th Edition 28.8 ©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
 Project-Join Normal Form (PJNF)
 A relation schema R is in PJNF with respect to a set D of functional,
multivalued, and join dependencies if for all join dependencies in D+ of
the form
*(R1 , R2 ,..., Rn ) where each Ri ⊆ R
and R =R1∪ R2 ∪ ... ∪ Rn
at least one of the following holds:
• *(R1 , R2 ,..., Rn ) is a trivial join dependency.
• Every Ri is a superkey for R.
 Since every multivalued dependency is also a join dependency,
every PJNF schema is also in 4NF.

Database System Concepts - 7th Edition 28.9 ©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
 Example
 Consider Loan-info-schema = (branch-name, customer-name, loan-
number, amount).
 Each loan has one or more customers, is in one or more branches and
has a loan amount; these relationships are independent, hence we
have the join dependency
 *(=(loan-number, branch-name), (loan-number, customer-name), (loan-
number, amount))
 Loan-info-schema is not in PJNF with respect to the set of
dependencies containing the above join dependency. To put Loan-info-
schema into PJNF, we must decompose it into the three schemas
specified by the join dependency:
• (loan-number, branch-name)
• (loan-number, customer-name)
• (loan-number, amount)

Database System Concepts - 7th Edition 28.10 ©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
 Domain-Key Normal Form (DKNY)
 Domain declaration. Let A be an attribute, and let dom be a set
of values. The domain declaration A ⊆ dom requires that the A
value of all tuples be values in dom.
 Key declaration. Let R be a relation schema with K ⊆ R. The key
declaration key (K) requires that K be a superkey for schema R (K
→ R). All key declarations are functional dependencies but not all
functional dependencies are key declarations.
 General constraint. A general constraint is a predicate on the set
of all relations on a given schema.
 Let D be a set of domain constraints and let K be a set of key
constraints for a relation schema R. Let G denote the general
constraints for R. Schema R is in DKNF if D ∪ K logically imply G.

Database System Concepts - 7th Edition 28.11 ©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
 Example
 Accounts whose account-number begins with the digit 9 are
special high-interest accounts with a minimum balance of 2500.
 General constraint: ``If the first digit of t [account-number] is 9,
then t [balance] ≥ 2500.''
 DKNF design:
Regular-acct-schema = (branch-name, account-number,
balance)
Special-acct-schema = (branch-name, account-number,
balance)
 Domain constraints for {Special-acct-schema} require that for
each account:
• The account number begins with 9.
• The balance is greater than 2500.

Database System Concepts - 7th Edition 28.12 ©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
 DKNF rephrasing of PJNF Definition
 Let R = (A1 , A2 ,..., An) be a relation schema. Let dom(Ai ) denote
the domain of attribute Ai, and let all these domains be infinite.
Then all domain constraints D are of the form Ai ⊆ dom (Ai ).
 Let the general constraints be a set G of functional, multivalued, or
join dependencies. If F is the set of functional dependencies in G,
let the set K of key constraints be those nontrivial functional
dependencies in F+ of the form α → R.
 Schema R is in PJNF if and only if it is in DKNF with respect to D,
K, and G.

Database System Concepts - 7th Edition 28.13 ©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
 End of Chapter 28

Database System Concepts - 7th Edition 28.14 ©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan