Explain the Concept of Normalization and Its Benefits

Normalization is the process of organizing the structure of a database to reduce data redundancy and ensure data integrity.

Main goals of normalization:

• Elimination of Redundancy: Prevents data duplication.
• Improved Data Integrity: Minimizes the chance of data inconsistency.
• Easier Maintenance and Updates: Makes the database structure more flexible and understandable.

Key normal forms

• First Normal Form (1NF): All columns contain atomic (indivisible) values.
• Second Normal Form (2NF): Satisfies 1NF and all non-key columns depend on the entire primary key.
• Third Normal Form (3NF): Satisfies 2NF and there are no transitive dependencies between non-key columns.

Example

Before normalization:

After normalization:

Students table

Courses table

Enrollments table