A-Level Computer Science Revision — Normalisation
Revise Normalisation for A-Level Computer Science with a topic explanation, worked example and common mistakes. Check the board notes for specification differences.
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Go to Relational DatabasesTopic explanation
What is Normalisation?
Normalization is the process of organizing the columns and tables of a relational database to minimize data redundancy. It is used to improve data integrity and to make the database more efficient. There are several normal forms, but the most common are first normal form (1NF), second normal form (2NF), and third normal form (3NF).
Board notes: Covered by AQA, Edexcel, and OCR. Students should be able to explain the purpose of normalization and to normalize a database to 3NF.
Step-by-step explanationWorked examples
Worked example
A table with columns for student ID, name, address, and course is not in 3NF because the address depends on the student ID, and the course depends on the student ID. To normalize this table, you would create a separate table for students, a separate table for courses, and a separate table to link students to courses.
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Start with low-focus cards for Normalisation, then move into full exam-style practice when you want the heavier session.
Common mistakes
- 1Not understanding the different normal forms.
- 2Incorrectly identifying dependencies between attributes.
- 3Over-normalizing a database, which can make it more complex and less efficient.
Normalisation exam questions
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Frequently asked questions
What is first normal form (1NF)?
A table is in 1NF if all of the columns contain atomic values, meaning that they cannot be broken down into smaller parts. For example, a column for phone numbers should not contain multiple phone numbers.
What is third normal form (3NF)?
A table is in 3NF if it is in 2NF and all of the columns are dependent only on the primary key. This means that there are no transitive dependencies, where a non-key attribute is dependent on another non-key attribute.