Normalization

Normalization

Four normal forms: first, second, third, and Boyce-Codd

normal forms
1NF, 2NF, 3NF, and BCNF

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”.
 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.
 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
 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.
 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

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

EmpEmail

EmpNum EmpEmail EmpFname EmpLname

 Determinant
Functional Dependency

EmpNum  EmpEmail

Attribute on the LHS is known as the determinant

• EmpNum is a determinant of EmpEmail
What functional dependencies?

EmployeeProject
ssn pnumber hours ename plocation

WORKS ON
Essn pno hours
 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.
 Transitive dependency
EmpNum  DeptNum

EmpNum EmpEmail DeptNum DeptNname

DeptNum  DeptName

EmpNum EmpEmail DeptNum DeptNname

DeptName is transitively dependent on EmpNum via DeptNum

EmpNum  DeptName
 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
InvNum is a determinant of InvDate and InvNum is
part of a candidate key
 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.
 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
 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

What would the ERD be for the above situation

with EmpNum, EmpPhone, EmpDegrees. Would
we have generated the above table using our
“mapping algorithm”?
 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

An outer join between Employee and EmployeeDegree will

produce the information we saw before
 Boyce-Codd Normal Form
Boyce-Codd Normal Form

BCNF is defined very simply:

a relation is in BCNF if it is in 1NF and if every
determinant is a candidate key.

If our database will be used for OLTP (on line transaction

processing), then BCNF is our target. Usually, we meet this
objective. However, we might denormalize (3NF, 2NF, or
1NF) for performance reasons.
 Boyce-Codd Normal Form
InvNum LineNum ProdNum Qty

InvNum, LineNum ProdNum

{InvNum, LineNum} and
Qty {InvNum, ProdNum} are
the two candidate keys.
InvNum, ProdNum LineNum

There are two candidate keys.

Since every determinant is a candidate key, the
relation is in BCNF
This relation is about Invoice lines only.
 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.
• Relations that are not in BCNF have data redundancies
• A relation in 2NF will not have any partial dependencies
 Second Normal Form
Consider this InvLine table (in 1NF):
InvNum LineNum ProdNum Qty InvDate

InvNum, LineNum ProdNum

There are two
Qty candidate keys.
InvNum, ProdNum LineNum
Qty is the only non-
key attribute, and it is
InvNum InvDate
dependent on InvNum
Since there is a determinant that is not a
candidate key, InvLine is not BCNF
InvLine is
InvLine is not 2NF since there is a partial only in 1NF
dependency of InvDate on InvNum
InvLine
Second Normal Form
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

Question: What is the highest normal form for these

relations? 2NF? 3NF? BCNF?
2NF, but not in 3NF, nor in BCNF:

inv_no line_no prod_no prod_desc qty

since prod_no is not a candidate key and we have:

prod_no  prod_desc.
2NF, but not in 3NF, nor in BCNF:

EmployeeDept
ename ssn bdate address dnumber dname

since dnumber is not a candidate key and we have:

dnumber  dname.
 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
of non-key attribute on a candidate key through another non-
key attribute.
 Third Normal Form
Consider this Employee relation
Candidate keys
are? …

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.

Is the relation in 3NF? … no Is the relation in BCNF? … no

Is the relation in 2NF? … yes
 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.

Are they in BCNF?
 In 3NF, but not in BCNF:

Instructor teaches one

course only.
student_no course_no instr_no
Student takes a course
and has one instructor.

{student_no, course_no}  instr_no

instr_no  course_no

since we have instr_no  course-no, but instr_no is not a

Candidate key.
 student_no course_no instr_no

BC
NF

student_no instr_no

course_no instr_no

{student_no, instr_no}  student_no

{student_no, instr_no}  instr_no
instr_no  course_no