005·14

third normal form

/θɜːrd ˈnɔːr.məl fɔːrm/ - n.

1 [colloq.] A standard the schema fully met on the day of the design review and has been drifting away from ever since.Keep. Punchy.This is the problem.

Working definition

2. A normalization level in which every non-key attribute depends on the key, the whole key, and nothing but the key.

Filed

See also

denormalizationCopying the value into six tables so the dashboard loads faster, then learning which copy is wrong six tables at a time.
normalizationStoring each fact exactly once so that no one can find it, then joining nine tables to prove it was there all along.
schema designAn afternoon of careful structure followed by two years of columns named after the ticket that demanded them.