Article Discussion: Database Normalization

Put simply, normalization is an attempt to make sure you do not destroy true data or create false data in your database. Errors are avoided by representing a fact in the database one way, one time, and in one place. Duplicate data is a problem as old as data processing. Efficient and accurate data processing relies on the minimizing redundant data and maximizing data integrity. Normalization and the Normal Forms (NF) are efforts to achieve these two core objectives of data processing. This article will examine the concept of normalization in-depth.


Read the full article here: Database Normalization

normalization is the standard textbook topic. The part of art of database design is actually to determine when normalization may not be a good idea, which you gain from experience, not from textbook.

Could somebody PLEASE fix that first example table? The data appears to be transposed, which completely voids any benefit we might otherwise gain from it. . .

I'm not sure who messed up that table but it sure wasn't like that when I submitted the article =)

As for it being a "textbook" topic.. of course it is. So what? I'd be willing to bet that 90% of people in IT don't have college degrees and never took a database class. If you want to criticize the content do so, but attacking the topic just makes you look like an idiot.

Well, I know I learned something from the reading! Even though I got three degrees in college, none of them related to IT. So no, I never took a database class. It was pretty interesting to see that several of the design principles I've learned by trial and error over the last couple years are actually formalized in a set of rules.

Constructive criticism on the article: I found it a bit hard to follow at times. I'm not stupid, but the subject matter was new to me. One thing that made it more difficult was having to keep a mental picture of what the resulting table would look like for each SQL example you gave. An actual sample table for each example would have been more helpful (as long as it wasn't transposed! LOL).

Thanks for bringing database normalization to my attention. It warrants further study.

VBAjedi

IMO. Too complicated a presentation. Too wordy. Didn't get the gist of what the author was trying to say.