Database Normalization

Kind: technique

Layer: Contracts Core

Record: architecture:database-normalization

Severity: recommended

Scope: schema, data modeling, integrity

Canonical: Ontology

A technique for decomposing tables by their functional dependencies into normal forms, so no column depends on anything but its key.

Listed in Architecture principles, after Principle of Least Surprise and before Security by Design.

Requires

• Functional Dependencies

Reinforces

• Single Source of Truth
• Data Integrity

Enables

• Non-Redundant Storage
• Non-Redundant Storage

Conflicts with

• Duplicated Denormalized Columns

In tension with

• Read Performance

Tensions

• Database Normalization / Read Performance

Violated by

• Duplicated Denormalized Columns

Severity

• recommended

Category

• Schema / Canonical Data / Semantics

Refactors

• Normalization

Linked from

• Schema / Canonical Data / Semantics
• Quality Attributes
• Schema / Canonical Data / Semantics
• Severity levels
• The resolutions