Data Normalization

Question: What is data normalization and why is it used?

Expected discussion: Normalization is the process of organizing relational database tables/columns to reduce data redundancy and avoid update/insert/delete anomalies, typically by decomposing tables according to normal forms (1NF, 2NF, 3NF, BCNF). Trade-off: higher normalization reduces duplication but can require more joins at query time, so real systems often selectively denormalize for read performance.