Normalization sets principles for organizing data in relational databases to minimize redundancy and eliminate duplicates thus key principles are referred to as “normal forms”. The importance of normalization includes:

1. Reducing Data Redundancy:
   • Eliminates Duplication: Ensures that each piece of data is stored only once, avoiding data anomalies.
   • Saves Storage Space: By removing redundant data, it reduces the amount of storage needed.
2. Increasing Performance:
   • Optimized Queries: With normalized data, database queries can run more efficiently, speeding up data retrieval.
   • Efficient Indexing: Helps in creating efficient indexes, further enhancing query performance.
3. Ensuring Data Integrity:
   • Consistency and Accuracy: Enforces rules that maintain data consistency and accuracy.
   • Primary and Foreign Keys: Uses primary keys to uniquely identify records and foreign keys to maintain referential integrity between tables.

Differences between 1NF, 2NF, and 3NF

Managing Data Integrity

1. Reducing Repetition:
   • Decreases Search Space: Less data redundancy means smaller data sets to search through, increasing efficiency.
   • Prevents Data Anomalies: Reducing repetition helps avoid anomalies during data insertion, update, or deletion.
2. Using Primary and Foreign Keys:
   • Establishes Relationships: Keys are used to link tables together, maintaining relational integrity.
   • Simplifies Updates: Changes in one table are automatically reflected in related tables, simplifying updates and reducing errors.
3. Facilitating Easier Management:
   • Improved Data Organization: Normalized data is more logically organized, making it easier to understand and manage.
   • Enhanced Data Consistency: Ensures that data changes are consistent across the database, maintaining overall data integrity.

By adhering to these principles, databases can be structured efficiently, ensuring data integrity and optimal performance.