Interactive Automated System for Normalization of Relations

摘要

An interactive Automated System for Normalizing Relations was designed and partially implemented with the goal of interacting it with a Relational Database Management System. In addition, this system was to serve as pedagogical tool for teaching the benefits of normalization for relational database management. Toward these goals, an extensive literature search and analysis of the six normal forms and other pertinent areas of relation normalization was required in order to identify current issues and areas of research. A main concern was overcome by attempting to locate an algorithm to normalize relations. Most authors present a cursory guide to normalization if any at all, but Jeffrey Ullman presents the concept of minimal set. If a minimal set is deduced from an unnormalized relation the resultant relations that are formed are in Third Normal Form. Research was also accomplished in the area of user friendly interactive methods. This was needed because the requirement existed for this system to query the user for functional dependencies in order that relations could later be normalized. (Author)