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Functional Dependency

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5 views19 pages

Functional Dependency

Notes

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midhulasrikj3053
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Functional Dependency

By,
JJ
Definition
• A functional dependency (FD) is a relationship
between two attributes, typically between the
PK and other non-key attributes within a table.
• For any relation R, attribute Y is functionally
dependent on attribute X (usually the PK), if for
every valid instance of X, that value of X
uniquely determines the value of Y.
• X ———–> Y
• Determinant, dependent
Examples
• SIN ———-> Name, Address, Birthdate
• SIN, Course ———> DateCompleted
• ISBN ———–> Title
Rules of Functional Dependencies
R(ABCDE)
Since the values of A are unique (a1, a2, a3,
etc.), it follows from the FD definition that:
• A → B, A → C, A → D, A → E
• It also follows that A →BC (or any other subset
of ABCDE).
• This can be summarized as A →BCDE.
• From our understanding of primary keys, A is a
primary key.
• Since the values of E are always the same (all
e1), it follows that:
• A → E, B → E, C → E, D → E
Other observations:

• Combinations of BC are unique, therefore BC


→ ADE.
• Combinations of BD are unique, therefore BD
→ ACE.
• If C values match, so do D values.
– Therefore, C → D
– However, D values don’t determine C values
– So C does not determine D, and D does not
determine C.
Inference Rules

• Armstrong’s axioms are a set of inference


rules used to infer all the functional
dependencies on a relational database.
• They were developed by William W.
Armstrong.
Armstrong’s axioms/properties of functional dependencies:

• Reflexivity: If Y is a subset of X, then X→Y holds by reflexivity


rule
• For example, {roll_no, name} → name is valid
• Augmentation: If X → Y is a valid dependency, then XZ → YZ
is also valid by the augmentation rule.
• For example, If {roll_no, name} → dept_building is valid,
hence {roll_no, name, dept_name} → {dept_building,
dept_name} is also valid.→
• Transitivity: If X → Y and Y → Z are both valid dependencies,
then X→Z is also valid by the Transitivity rule.
• For example, roll_no → dept_name & dept_name →
dept_building, then roll_no → dept_building is also valid.
Types of Functional dependencies in DBMS:

• Trivial functional dependency


• Non-Trivial functional dependency
• Multivalued functional dependency
• Transitive functional dependency
Trivial functional dependency

• In Trivial Functional Dependency, a


dependent is always a subset of the
determinant.
i.e. If X → Y and Y is the subset of X, then it is
called trivial functional dependency
• For example,
roll_no name age

42 abc 17

43 pqr 18

44 xyz 18

Here, {roll_no, name} → name is a trivial functional


dependency, since the dependent name is a subset of
determinant set {roll_no, name}

Similarly, roll_no → roll_no is also an example of trivial


functional dependency.
Non-trivial Functional Dependency

• example,

roll_no name age


42 abc 17
43 pqr 18
44 xyz 18
Example
• Here, roll_no → name is a non-trivial
functional dependency, since the
dependent name is not a subset
of determinant roll_no
Similarly, {roll_no, name} → age is also a non-
trivial functional dependency, since age is not
a subset of {roll_no, name}
Multivalued Functional Dependency

• In Multivalued functional dependency,


entities of the dependent set are not
dependent on each other.
i.e. If a → {b, c} and there exists no functional
dependency between b and c, then it is called
a multivalued functional dependency.
• For example,
Roll_no name age
42 abc 17
43 pqr 18
44 xyz 18
45 abc 19

Here, roll_no → {name, age} is a multivalued functional dependency, since the


dependents name & age are not dependent on each other(i.e. name → age or age →
name doesn’t exist !)
Transitive Functional Dependency
• In transitive functional dependency,
dependent is indirectly dependent on
determinant.
• i.e. If a → b & b → c, then according to axiom
of transitivity, a → c. This is a transitive
functional dependency

• For example,
Example

enrol_no name dept building_no

42 abc CO 4

43 pqr EC 2

44 xyz IT 1

45 abc EC 2
example
• enrol_no → dept and dept → building_no,
Hence, according to the axiom of
transitivity, enrol_no → building_no is a valid
functional dependency.
• This is an indirect functional dependency,
hence called Transitive functional dependency.
references
• https://opentextbc.ca/dbdesign01/chapter/ch
apter-11-functional-dependencies
/
• https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/types-of-
functional-dependencies-in-dbms/#:~:text=A
%20functional%20dependency%20is
%20a,determining%20the%20value%20of
%20Y.

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