So you're trying to understand database normalization in MySQL? It’s one of those topics that sounds more complicated than it really is. The core idea is simple: structure your database to reduce redundancy and improve data integrity. That means storing each piece of information in one place and linking it where needed — no repeated data, no confusion.

Here are a few practical angles to help you get normalization right.

What is First Normal Form (1NF) and Why It Matters
The first step in normalization is making sure your tables follow 1NF. This basically means:
- Each column holds atomic (indivisible) values
- No repeating groups or arrays in a single cell
For example, if you have a table for customers and one of the fields lists their favorite products as "shoes, hats", that's not atomic. Instead, create a separate table to map customer IDs to product IDs.

This makes querying easier and avoids messy string parsing later.
Second and Third Normal Forms – Eliminate Redundant Data
Once you're past 1NF, move on to 2NF and 3NF. These levels help eliminate redundant data by splitting up tables based on functional dependencies.
Let’s say you have an order table with customer name, address, and phone number repeated every time they place an order. That’s a red flag. In 2NF, you’d pull out customer info into its own table and link via a foreign key.
Then, in 3NF, you check if any non-key columns depend on other non-key columns. For instance, if your employee table includes department name and department manager, and department manager depends on department name, then manager should be moved to a separate table.
These steps might seem nitpicky, but they save headaches down the road when updating or syncing data.
Practical Tips When Designing Normalized Schemas
Here are a few things to keep in mind when structuring your MySQL databases:
- Start with entities: Identify main objects like users, orders, products, etc., and model them as tables.
- Use foreign keys wisely: They enforce relationships but can slow down writes if overused. Balance consistency with performance.
- Don’t over-normalize: There’s such a thing as too much normalization. Sometimes denormalization helps with query speed, especially for read-heavy apps.
- Index the right columns: After normalizing, joins become more common. Make sure foreign key columns are indexed.
- Test with real queries: A normalized schema looks clean on paper, but make sure it actually performs well with your app’s queries.
One easy mistake is keeping status fields like “active” or “pending” as strings directly in a main table. Better to create a small lookup table and reference it via ID. That way, you avoid typos and ensure consistency across records.
Tools and Commands in MySQL That Help
MySQL doesn’t enforce normalization rules automatically, but some tools and commands help you manage it:
- Use
CREATE TABLE
withFOREIGN KEY
constraints to enforce relationships - Try
SHOW CREATE TABLE your_table
to double-check how your keys are set up - Use
EXPLAIN
when joining multiple normalized tables to see if indexes are used efficiently - Consider using tools like MySQL Workbench for visual schema design
If you’re starting from an existing dataset, take time to analyze which fields repeat or could be grouped logically. Even a quick spreadsheet mapping of your current tables can reveal obvious places to split things out.
That’s the basic picture. You don’t need to go all the way to Boyce-Codd or 5NF unless you're designing something very complex. Focus on 1NF through 3NF — that covers most use cases.
The above is the detailed content of mysql tutorial about database normalization. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

Hot AI Tools

Undress AI Tool
Undress images for free

Undresser.AI Undress
AI-powered app for creating realistic nude photos

AI Clothes Remover
Online AI tool for removing clothes from photos.

Clothoff.io
AI clothes remover

Video Face Swap
Swap faces in any video effortlessly with our completely free AI face swap tool!

Hot Article

Hot Tools

Notepad++7.3.1
Easy-to-use and free code editor

SublimeText3 Chinese version
Chinese version, very easy to use

Zend Studio 13.0.1
Powerful PHP integrated development environment

Dreamweaver CS6
Visual web development tools

SublimeText3 Mac version
God-level code editing software (SublimeText3)

Hot Topics

GTID (Global Transaction Identifier) ??solves the complexity of replication and failover in MySQL databases by assigning a unique identity to each transaction. 1. It simplifies replication management, automatically handles log files and locations, allowing slave servers to request transactions based on the last executed GTID. 2. Ensure consistency across servers, ensure that each transaction is applied only once on each server, and avoid data inconsistency. 3. Improve troubleshooting efficiency. GTID includes server UUID and serial number, which is convenient for tracking transaction flow and accurately locate problems. These three core advantages make MySQL replication more robust and easy to manage, significantly improving system reliability and data integrity.

MySQL main library failover mainly includes four steps. 1. Fault detection: Regularly check the main library process, connection status and simple query to determine whether it is downtime, set up a retry mechanism to avoid misjudgment, and can use tools such as MHA, Orchestrator or Keepalived to assist in detection; 2. Select the new main library: select the most suitable slave library to replace it according to the data synchronization progress (Seconds_Behind_Master), binlog data integrity, network delay and load conditions, and perform data compensation or manual intervention if necessary; 3. Switch topology: Point other slave libraries to the new master library, execute RESETMASTER or enable GTID, update the VIP, DNS or proxy configuration to

The steps to connect to the MySQL database are as follows: 1. Use the basic command format mysql-u username-p-h host address to connect, enter the username and password to log in; 2. If you need to directly enter the specified database, you can add the database name after the command, such as mysql-uroot-pmyproject; 3. If the port is not the default 3306, you need to add the -P parameter to specify the port number, such as mysql-uroot-p-h192.168.1.100-P3307; In addition, if you encounter a password error, you can re-enter it. If the connection fails, check the network, firewall or permission settings. If the client is missing, you can install mysql-client on Linux through the package manager. Master these commands

To add MySQL's bin directory to the system PATH, it needs to be configured according to the different operating systems. 1. Windows system: Find the bin folder in the MySQL installation directory (the default path is usually C:\ProgramFiles\MySQL\MySQLServerX.X\bin), right-click "This Computer" → "Properties" → "Advanced System Settings" → "Environment Variables", select Path in "System Variables" and edit it, add the MySQLbin path, save it and restart the command prompt and enter mysql--version verification; 2.macOS and Linux systems: Bash users edit ~/.bashrc or ~/.bash_

MySQL's default transaction isolation level is RepeatableRead, which prevents dirty reads and non-repeatable reads through MVCC and gap locks, and avoids phantom reading in most cases; other major levels include read uncommitted (ReadUncommitted), allowing dirty reads but the fastest performance, 1. Read Committed (ReadCommitted) ensures that the submitted data is read but may encounter non-repeatable reads and phantom readings, 2. RepeatableRead default level ensures that multiple reads within the transaction are consistent, 3. Serialization (Serializable) the highest level, prevents other transactions from modifying data through locks, ensuring data integrity but sacrificing performance;

MySQL transactions follow ACID characteristics to ensure the reliability and consistency of database transactions. First, atomicity ensures that transactions are executed as an indivisible whole, either all succeed or all fail to roll back. For example, withdrawals and deposits must be completed or not occur at the same time in the transfer operation; second, consistency ensures that transactions transition the database from one valid state to another, and maintains the correct data logic through mechanisms such as constraints and triggers; third, isolation controls the visibility of multiple transactions when concurrent execution, prevents dirty reading, non-repeatable reading and fantasy reading. MySQL supports ReadUncommitted and ReadCommi.

IndexesinMySQLimprovequeryspeedbyenablingfasterdataretrieval.1.Theyreducedatascanned,allowingMySQLtoquicklylocaterelevantrowsinWHEREorORDERBYclauses,especiallyimportantforlargeorfrequentlyqueriedtables.2.Theyspeedupjoinsandsorting,makingJOINoperation

MySQLWorkbench stores connection information in the system configuration file. The specific path varies according to the operating system: 1. It is located in %APPDATA%\MySQL\Workbench\connections.xml in Windows system; 2. It is located in ~/Library/ApplicationSupport/MySQL/Workbench/connections.xml in macOS system; 3. It is usually located in ~/.mysql/workbench/connections.xml in Linux system or ~/.local/share/data/MySQL/Wor
