Modeling Webinar: Normalization - It's Not Your Friend... or Your Enemy
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Transcript of Modeling Webinar: Normalization - It's Not Your Friend... or Your Enemy
Karen Lopez @datachick #HeartData
Heart of Data ModelingNormalization…is not your friend…or your Enemy
Yes, Please do Tweet/Share today’s event
@datachick #heartdata
About Kerry
Recovering Sysadmin
Ten years of data—Varying degrees of SQL Server Engine & BI
Currently Senior BIDeveloper/Consultant
Used to fly little airplanes
@airbornegeek
Karen López
Karen has 20+ years of data and information architecture experience on large, multi-project programs.
She is a frequent speaker on data modeling, data-driven methodologies and pattern data models.
She wants you to love your data.
Data Modelers are people, too....so let’s get to know you….
POLL: Who Are You?
What Have You Worked on?
Aug 2014
Attendees, be part of the webinar
Use Q&A for formal questions
Use chat to discuss with each
other
Plan for Today
Why topic?
Why Normalize? Denormalize?
Myths and Truths
10 Tips for Talking About and Doing Normalization
Confession time
I never normalize.
I don’t have the normal forms memorized, nor do I plan to
I believe understanding the principles is important
I believe normalization is NOT a process or a method. More later on that.Not everyone in the data world will agree with me on these things.
NormalizationWhy this Topic?Why NOT this Topic?
Normalization: It’s a Love/Hate Thing.
Normalization, very briefly…
Developed by Ted Codd in the 70s to address update anomalies.
One fact in one place, then referenced instead of duplicated.
One fact means one to create, one item to update, one item to delete.
Normalization, briefly
Normalization…
Is all about the keys, ‘bout the keys, ‘bout the keys…
Depends on understanding the MEANING of the keys and columns
Goes all to heck* when you have surrogate keys
Depends on the make up of the key parts (columns)
Normalization, briefly
1NF – all instances (rows) have the same facts (columns). There are no repeating duplicate columns
2NF – only applies to multi-part keys. No fact is about just part of the key
3NF – No fact depends on another non-key column
3NF
Every fact is either part of a key or depends upon the key, the whole key, and nothing but the key.….so help you Codd
Michael J Swart
Remember…
“Normalization is like marriage…
…you always end up with more relations”
-Data Modeling Essentials, 3rd EditionSimsion & Witt
Enterprise Applications are Complex
20
Myths…
What Normalization is *NOT*
Why People Hate Normalization
Performance
Misunderstood
Taught Wrong Not Sexy
It’s taught wrong? Taught as a process, not a measurement
1NF, 2NF, 3NF, etc.
Used like a grade, instead of measurement
Magical “3NF”
It’s not a process on real projects
1NF 2NF 3NF 4NF BCNF
10 Tips for Data Modelers
1. Stop talking about the normal forms. Just stop.
2. Study the normal forms, know the lingo. Don’t use it, though
3. Be able to explain the anomaly you are trying to avoid.
4. Know your primary and alternate keys.
5. Enforce your primary and alternate keys.
10 Tips for Data Modelers
6. Understand denormalization patterns.
7. Don’t take “needs to be Denormalized” as a change request.
8. Understand other performance tuning techniques and how to recommend them
9. Squash “JOINs are Evil” discussions. They are a feature.
10.Be flexible. That’s why we have architects & modelers.
Thank you, you were great. Let’s do this next month!
Karen Lopez @datachick
#heartdata