What are normal forms in databases? Why are they needed? What is the normalization process?

Normal forms are a set of rules and requirements for the structure of tables in a relational database that help eliminate redundancy and anomalies during data updates.

Main normal forms:

• First Normal Form (1NF): all fields are atomic, meaning indivisible.
• Second Normal Form (2NF): the table is in 1NF, and all non-key attributes depend fully on the entire composite key (if it exists).
• Third Normal Form (3NF): the table is in 2NF, and there are no transitive dependencies between non-key attributes.

Why normal forms are needed:

• They reduce data duplication.
• They prevent anomalies during insert, update, and delete operations.
• They improve data integrity.

The normalization process is a sequential transformation of the data structure, breaking down tables and eliminating redundant dependencies to achieve the desired normal form, usually starting from 1NF and proceeding in order.