Chapter 1: The Relational Database Model

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Overview

Describing how to tune a relational database model would not be complete without a description of Normalization.

I have attempted to simplify Normalization. When I was at University I simply ignored the accepted, stated rules of Normalization and did as I had been doing for the 3 years before. I worked with a relational database data dictionary based application. I found the rules of the five Normal Forms to be obtuse, over complicated, and simply impossible to decipher at first glance. The response of a college student first reading the descriptions of each Normal Form is usually, "Huh"? I probably read those rules two or three times and wondered what all the fuss was about.

So let's try to simplify Normalization.

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