What are the trade-offs between higher-order normalization and real-world usability.?

Question

What are the trade-offs between higher-order normalization and real-world usability.?

This is related to databases.

Answer 1

In a FLAT table every field associated with the record is present. As records are added to a flat table some information is constatntly readded because it doesn't change as frequently. For example an Orders database tracking customers and teh items they bought. Every time an item is added duplicate information is added to the database because the address and phone numbers for example are readded everytime the customer buys an item.

Normalization seperates this repeating data into a seperate table and links the information (relates it) to the particular record with a unique record ID.

Now in the customers data the Orders contain a customer recordID instead of several fields of repeating information.


Normalization saves data space as you are equating a large amount of repeating data fields with a single recordID.

THis does complicate extraction and managment of data compared to a flat table as information in related fields must be joined together, deleting of records must be done with care to prevent orphaning related data in other tables.

Advantages of normalization is data management. Suppose you had to change a customers phone number.
In a flat table you would have to change multiple records for each phone number recored in every item record that the customer bought.
With a normalized table the customer Info table would only need the single record to be modified. THe change would be related via the recordID used in other tables.

Answer 2

is this about Database design?