What is normalization in a database?
a) Organizing data to reduce redundancy and improve data integrity
b) Duplicating data across multiple tables for faster access
c) Increasing the number of tables in the database
d) Compressing data to save storage space
Answer:
a) Organizing data to reduce redundancy and improve data integrity
Explanation:
Normalization is the process of organizing data in a database to reduce redundancy and improve data integrity. The goal is to eliminate unnecessary duplication of data and ensure that the database is logically structured.
Normalization typically involves dividing a large table into smaller, related tables and defining relationships between them using foreign keys. The process is done in stages, known as normal forms, such as 1NF, 2NF, and 3NF.
By normalizing a database, you can avoid data anomalies (such as update, delete, or insert anomalies) and ensure that the data is more maintainable and scalable.