When is it recommended to apply normal forms in database design?

Normal forms are applied in database design to eliminate data redundancy and prevent anomalies during update, insert, and delete operations. It is recommended to normalize during the design phase to:

• Ensure data integrity.
• Simplify table structures.
• Avoid duplication of information.

Most often, bringing the database to the third normal form (3NF) is sufficient to achieve a balance between performance and ease of maintenance. However, in some cases, such as for read optimization, denormalization is permitted.