What is First Normal Form (1NF) in DBMS? Explained with Examples

Relational databases are the backbone of software applications, but poorly designed tables can lead to redundancy, inconsistency, and inefficiency. Therefore, efficient database design is crucial for maintaining data integrity and avoiding redundancy. We use normalization to organize data systematically in database tables. The first normal form (1NF) is the initial and fundamental step in normalization, ensuring that data is stored in a structured and atomic manner.

This article discusses normalization, the four rules defining the first normal form, and the step-by-step process of converting a table into 1NF, laying the groundwork for an optimized database design.

What is normalization in DBMS?

Database normalization is a process we use to organize columns and tables in relational databases to reduce data redundancy and improve data integrity. Normalization helps us logically structure the relationships between different columns in a table and between two tables in a database for efficient data storage.

During normalization, we divide a large table with composite attributes into one or more tables with simpler attributes. For this, we use several rules defined by different normal forms like first normal form (1NF), second normal form (2NF), third normal form (3NF), and more. All these normal forms define rules to remove redundancy and dependency issues from the tables.

By progressively applying these normal forms, we can make the database tables more structured and resilient to anomalies. This process begins with the first normal form (1NF). Let’s discuss what the first normal form is.

What is first normal form (1NF)?

The first normal form (1NF) is the first level of normalization. A table is said to be in 1NF if it consists of only atomic values. Atomic values are indivisible, single values that cannot be further broken down while still retaining meaning. If a table contains multiple values or composite values in a column, it violates 1NF. To decide whether or not a table is in 1NF, we use four rules, as discussed below:

Four rules for 1NF

We consider a table to be in 1NF if it follows the following rules:

1. Atomicity of Data: All the values in a table must be atomic or indivisible. It must not contain composite values or lists within a single column. For example, if a table has a column subjects containing multiple comma-separated subject names, the table will not be in 1NF as we can split the list into multiple values. Similarly, a table with address as an attribute cannot be in 1NF as we can split the address column into attributes like street, city, state, country, and ZIP code.
2. Uniqueness of Attributes: Each column must have a unique name and store a single type of data. For instance, we cannot have three columns named subject_1, subject_2, and subject_3 in the same table if we want the table to be in 1NF. This is because all these columns contain the same type of data.
3. Same domain values in a column: Each column in a table must store the same type of data for the table to be in 1NF. We cannot put the marks of a student in the subject column. The subject column must only store the subject name, and marks should only be stored in a separate marks column.
4. Distinct Unordered Rows: In 1NF, the order of rows doesn’t affect the meaning of the data, and each row in the table must be unique.

Now that we have discussed the rules a table must satisfy to be in the first normal form, let’s discuss the steps to convert a table to 1NF.

Steps to convert a table to 1st normal form

We can convert any database table into the first normal form in a four-step process. In this process, we modify the table in each step so that the modified table satisfies one of the rules for 1NF. After applying all the four steps, we get a table that satisfies all the four rules for 1NF.

To understand this four-step process, consider we have the following table:

This table has composite values, contains multiple values in a column cell, and has similar column names. Hence, the table isn’t in the first normal form. Let’s convert this table into 1NF in a stepwise manner.

Step 1: Ensure atomicity of data

The Marks column in the table contains multiple values in a single cell (e.g., “Math: 85, Science: 85”). Also, the Address column has composite values, i.e. (Street, City, State, and ZIP are all combined). To ensure atomicity of the data, we will use the following operations:

• Separate the Marks column into two columns, namely Subject_1_Marks and Subject_2_Marks.
• Split the Address column into separate columns i.e. Street, City, State, and ZIP.

After applying these steps to the original table, we will get the following table:

You can see that all the columns in this table contain atomic values. Now, we will apply the rule for the uniqueness of attributes to further modify the table.

Step 2: Ensure uniqueness of attributes

After step 1, the columns Subject_1 and Subject_2 store the same type of data, i.e., subject names in different columns. Similarly, Subject_1_Marks and Subject_2_Marks are also of the same type. To ensure the uniqueness of the attributes, we will create separate rows for each subject per student, as shown below:

In this table, you can see that no two columns have the same type of data. Hence, we have ensured the atomicity of data and the uniqueness of attributes. Now, let’s move to the next step.

Step 3: Ensure the same domain values in a column

In step 3, we need to ensure that all the values in a column belong to the same domain. As all the columns in the table have the same type of values in all the rows, this rule is already satisfied. So, we will move to the next step.

Step 4: Ensure distinct unordered rows

In this step, we need to ensure that the table contains unique rows. As we have duplicate rows for student ID 101, we will remove the duplicate rows and ensure distinct unordered rows, as shown below:

This table satisfies all four rules for the first normal form. Hence, we have successfully converted the input table to 1NF. In real-world scenarios, you may need to apply one or more steps to ensure the table is in the first normal form. However, it’s recommended to follow the steps in the order discussed to simplify the process.

Conclusion

Normalization is crucial in database design as it ensures data integrity and reduces redundancy. The first normal form is the first step in normalizing the database tables. 1NF is the foundational step focusing on the atomicity of values and the uniqueness of rows and columns. By following the steps to convert a table to 1NF, you can improve the efficiency and consistency of your database. To improve them further, you can apply higher normal forms like the second normal form (2NF), third normal form (3NF), Boyce-Codd normal form (BCNF), fourth normal form (4NF), etc, in a progression.

To learn more about databases, you can take up this introduction to SQL course on Codecademy. You might also like this course on designing databases with PostgreSQL.

Happy learning!