DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.

com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

MODULE 4

NORMALIZATION

CO – Students will be able to demonstrate the

Relational Database Design concepts.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 1

RELATIONAL DATABASE DESIGN

• Each relation schema consists of a number of attributes, and the
relational database schema consists of a number of relation
schemas.
• Relational database design ultimately produces a set of relations.
• The implicit goals of the design activity are information
preservation and minimum redundancy.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP,CU EDULINE 2

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 1

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

ANOMALIES IN A DATABASE
• Consider the following relational schema pertaining to the
information about a student maintained by a university.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP, CU EDULINE 3

• The relation schema STDINF can lead to several undesirable

problems.
1. REDUNDANCY
• The aim of the database system is to reduce redundancy, meaning
that information is to be stored only once.
• Storing information several times leads to the waste of storage
space and an increase in the total size of the data stored.
• In the above relation the Major and Phone_no of a student are
stored several times in the data base; once for each course that is
or was taken by a student.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP , CU EDULINE 4

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 2

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

2. UPDATE ANOMALIES
• multiple copies of the same fact may lead to update anomalies or
inconsistencies when an update is made and only some of the multiple
copies are updated.
• Thus a change in the Phone_no of Jones must be made, for consistency,
in all tuples pertaining to the student Jones.
• If one of the three tuples of the figure is not changed to reflect the new
Phone_no of Jones, there will be an inconsistency in the data.
3. INSERTION ANOMALIES
• If this is the only relation in the database showing the association
between the faculty member and the course he or she teaches, the fact
that a given Professor is teaching a given Course cannot be entered in
the database unless a student is registered in the Course.
Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP , CU EDULINE 5

4. DELETION ANOMALIES
• If the only student registered in a given Course discontinues the
course, the information as to which Professor is offering the course
will be lost if this is the only relation in the database showing the
association between a faculty member and the course she or he
teaches.
• If another relation in the database also establishes the relationship
between a Course and a Professor who teaches that course, the
deletion of the last tuple in “STDINF” for a given course will not
cause the information about the course’s teacher to be lost.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP , CU EDULINE 6

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 3

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

• Redundancy, storing the same information several times in a

database, can result in update anomalies (all copies need to be
updated), insertion anomalies (certain information cannot be
stored unless other information is stored as well), and deletion
anomalies (deleting some information means loss of other
information as well).
• We can reduce redundancy by replacing a relation schema R with
several smaller relation schemas.
• This process is called decomposition.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP , CU EDULINE 7

FUNCTIONAL DEPENDENCY
• Functional dependency (FD) is a set of constraints between two
attributes in a relation.
• It is basically a many-to-one relationship from one set of attributes
to another with in a given relational variable.
• Given two sets of attributes X and Y , Y is said to be functionally
dependent on X if a given value for each attribute in X uniquely
determines the value of the attribute in Y.(i.e., each X value is
associated with exactly one Y value.)

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 8

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 4

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

• Functional dependency is represented by an arrow sign (→) that is,

X→Y, where X functionally determines Y. The left-hand side
attributes determine the values of attributes on the right-hand
side.
• We can say that the FD X→Y is satisfied on the relation R if the
cardinality of is at most one.
• A functional dependency X→Y is said to be trivial if Y is a subset of
X , otherwise non trivial.
• Trivial FDs always hold.
• If an FD X → Y holds, where x intersect Y = Φ, it is said to be a
completely non-trivial FD.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 9

Here Loan_No → Amount functional dependency is exist.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 10

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 5

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

ARMSTRONG'S AXIOMS
• If F is a set of functional dependencies then the closure of F,
denoted as F+, is the set of all functional dependencies logically
implied by F (F = x→y).
• Armstrong's Axioms (Inference axioms) are a set of rules that,
when applied repeatedly, generates a closure of functional
dependencies.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 11

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 12

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 6

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

CLOSURE OF A SET OF FUNCTIONAL

DEPENDENCIES
• The set of functional dependencies that is logically implied
(involve) by F is called the closure of F and is written as F+
Example:
• Let F = {A→B, B→C}. Then F+ can be finding using the above axioms

F+ = {A→B, B→C, A→C, A→BC , AC→BC}

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 13

PRIME ATTRIBUTE & NONPRIME ATTRIBUTE

• An attribute, which is a part of the prime-key, is known as a prime
attribute.
• An attribute, which is not a part of the prime-key, is said to be a
non-prime attribute.
Example:
If R (ABCDEH) and F= {A→BC, CD→E, E→C, AH→D}, then AH is the
only candidate key of R.
The attributes A and H are prime and the attributes B, C, D and E are
nonprime.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 14

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 7

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

PARTIAL DEPENDENCY
• Consider the relation R (name, course, grade, phone_ no, major,
course_dept).
• The functional dependencies are F {name→phone_no,major ;
course→course_dept ; name course→grade}.
• Name course is a candidate key. Name and course are prime
attributes. Grade is fully functionally dependent on the candidate
key. Phone_no, course_dept and major are partially dependent on
the candidate key.
Another example
• Given R (ABCD) and F {AB→C, B→D}, the key of this relation is AB
and D is partially dependent on the key.
Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 15

TRANSITIVE DEPENDENCY
• Given R (ABCDE) and functional dependencies f {AB→C, B→D,
C→E}.
• AB is the key and E is transitively dependent on the key, since
AB→C→E.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 16

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 8

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

NORMALIZATION & NORMAL FORMS

• Normalization is a method to remove all these anomalies and bring
the database to a consistent state.
• Given a relation schema, we need to decide whether it is a good
design or whether we need to decompose it into smaller relations.
• Such a decision must be guided by an understanding of what
problems, if any, arise from the current schema.
• To provide such guidance, several normal forms have been
proposed.
• If a relation schema is in one of these normal forms, we know that
certain kinds of problems cannot arise.
Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 17

FIRST NORMAL FORM (1NF)

• First Normal Form is defined in the definition of relations (tables)
itself.
• This rule defines that all the attributes in a relation must have
atomic domains.
• The values in an atomic domain are indivisible units.
• A database schema is in 1NF; if every relation schema included in
the database schema is in 1NF.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 18

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 9

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

unnormalized relation

• We re-arrange the relation (table) as below, to convert it to First

Normal Form.
• Each attribute must contain only a
single value from its predefined domain.

Relation in 1NF

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 19

SECOND NORMAL FORM (2NF)

• If we follow second normal form, then every non-prime attribute
should be fully functionally dependent on prime key attribute.
• A second normal form does not permit partial dependency
between a non-prime attribute and the relation keys.

Relation not in 2NF

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 20

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 10

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

• We see here in Student_Project relation that the prime key

attributes are Stu_ID and Proj_ID.
• According to the rule, non-key attributes, i.e., Stu_Name and
Proj_Name must be dependent upon both and not on any of the
prime key attribute individually. But we find that Stu_Name can be
identified by Stu_ID and Proj_Name can be identified by Proj_ID
independently.
• This is called partial dependency, which is not allowed in Second
Normal Form.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 21

• We broke the relation in two as depicted in the above picture. So

there exists no partial dependency.

Relation in 2NF

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 22

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 11

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

THIRD NORMAL FORM (3NF)

• For a relation to be in Third Normal Form it must be in Second
Normal form and the following must satisfy:
No non-prime attribute is transitively dependent on prime key
attribute.
For any non-trivial functional dependency, X → A, then either:
 X is a super key or,
 A is prime attribute (each element of A is part of some candidate
key)

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 23

Relation not in 3NF

• We find that in the above Student_detail relation, Stu_ID is the key

and only prime key attribute.
• We find that City can be identified by Stu_ID as well as Zip itself.
Neither Zip is a super key nor is City a prime attribute.
• Additionally, Stu_ID→ Zip → City, so there exists transitive
dependency.
Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 24

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 12

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

• To bring this relation into third normal form, we break the relation
into two relations as follows:

Relation in 3NF

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 25

• Consider the following Table TEACHER_DETAILS

• The candidate key is ID

• The functional dependency { ID->NAME, ID->SUBJECT, ID->STATE,
STATE->COUNTRY }

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 26

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 13

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

• For the above relation, ID->STATE, STATE->COUNTRY is transitive

dependency.
• This does not satisfy the conditions of the Third Normal Form.
• So in order to transform it into Third Normal Form, we need to
break the table into two tables in total and we need to create
another table for STATE and COUNTRY with STATE as the primary
key.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 27

TEACHER_DETAILS:

STATE_COUNTRY:

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 28

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 14

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

Example:
• Consider relation R(A, B, C, D, E) and the FDs are given below
A -> BC,
CD -> E,
B -> D,
E -> A
• All possible candidate keys in above relation are {A, E, CD, BC}
• All attribute are on right sides of all functional dependencies are
prime.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 29

BOYCE CODD NORMAL FORM (BCNF)

• Boyce-Codd Normal Form (BCNF) is an extension of Third Normal
Form on strict terms. BCNF states that
For any non-trivial functional dependency, X → A, X must be a
super-key. (Check whether the left side of each dependency in F is a
super key)

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 30

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 15

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

• In the above image, Stu_ID is the super-key in the relation

Student_Detail and Zip is the super-key in the relation ZipCodes. So,
Stu_ID → Stu_Name, Zip and
Zip → City
Which confirms that both the relations are in BCNF

Fig: FDs in a BCNF relation

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 31

RELATIONAL DATABASE DESIGN

• The criteria for design are the following:
The design is content preserving; if the original relation can be
derived from the relations resulting from the design process. Since
the join operation is used in deriving the original relation from its
decomposed relations; this criterion is also called lossless join
decomposition.
The relation design is dependency preserving; if the original set of
constraints can be derived from the dependencies in the output of
the design process.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 32

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 16

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

The relation design is free from interrelation join constraints; if

there are no dependencies that can only be derived from the join
of two or more relations in the output of the design process.
• Since join operation is a computationally expensive process, it is
desirable that the database design be free of such interrelation join
constraints

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 33

Lossless Join Decomposition

• If the information is not lost from the relation that is decomposed,
then the decomposition will be lossless.
• The lossless decomposition guarantees that the join of relations
will result in the same relation as it was decomposed.
• The relation is said to be lossless decomposition if natural joins of
all the decomposition give the original relation.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 34

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 17

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

For a decomposition to be lossless, it should hold the following

conditions
1. Union of Attributes of R1 and R2 must be equal to attribute of R.
Each attribute of R must be either in R1 or in R2.
Att(R1) U Att(R2) = Att(R)
2. Intersection of Attributes of R1 and R2 must not be NULL.
Att(R1) ∩ Att(R2) ≠ Φ
3. Common attribute must be a key for at least one relation (R1 or
R2)
Att(R1) ∩ Att(R2) -> Att(R1) or Att(R1) ∩ Att(R2) -> Att(R2)

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 35

Example:
A relation R(A,B,C,D) with FD set {A->BC} is decomposed into
R1(ABC) and R2(AD). This is lossless join decomposition because
• First rule holds true as Att(R1) ⋃ Att(R2)=(ABC) ⋃ (AD)= (ABCD) =
Att(R)
• Second rule holds true as Att(R1) ⋂ Att(R2) = (ABC) ⋂ (AD) ≠ Ø
• Third rule holds true as Att(R1) ⋂ Att(R2) = A is a key of R1(ABC)
because A->BC is given.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 36

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 18

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

Dependency Preserving Decomposition

• If we decompose a relation R into relations R1 and R2, All
dependencies of R either must be a part of R1 or R2 or must be
derivable from combination of FD’s of R1 and R2.
• For Example, A relation R (A, B, C, D) with FD set{A->BC} is
decomposed into R1(ABC) and R2(AD) which is dependency
preserving because FD A->BC is a part of R1(ABC).

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 37

Question:
Consider a schema R(A,B,C,D) and functional dependencies A->B and
C->D. Then the decomposition of R into R1(AB) and R2(CD) is
A. dependency preserving and lossless join
B. lossless join but not dependency preserving
C. dependency preserving but not lossless join
D. not dependency preserving and not lossless join
Ans:
For lossless join decomposition, these three conditions must hold
true:

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 38

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 19

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

R(A,B,C,D) R1(AB) R2(CD)

1. Att(R1) U Att(R2) = ABCD = Att(R)

2. Att(R1) ∩ Att(R2) = Φ, which violates the condition of lossless join
decomposition. Hence the decomposition is not lossless.

For dependency preserving decomposition,

• A->B can be ensured in R1(AB) and C->D can be ensured in R2(CD).
Hence it is dependency preserving decomposition.
So, the correct option is C.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 39

Advantages of Lossless Decomposition in DBMS

• It eliminates data redundancy
• Improves the efficiency of the database
• Reduces storage space requirements
• Enables effective maintenance of the database
• Preserves all the information from the original table
• Prevents data inconsistencies

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 40

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 20

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

ALGORITHM TO CHECK IF DECOMPOSITION IS LOSSY OR LOSSLESS

Step 1 − Create a table with M rows and N columns
M= number of decomposed relations.
N= number of attributes of original relation.
Step 2 − If a decomposed rela on Ri has attribute A then
Insert a symbol (say ‘a’) at position (Ri,A)
Step 3 − Consider each FD X->Y
If column X has two or more symbols then
Insert symbols in the same place (rows) of column Y.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 41

Step 4 − If any row is completely filled with symbols then

Decomposition is lossless.
Else
Decomposition is lossy.

Example:
Consider R(A,B,C,D,E)
F:{A->B, BC->E, ED->A}
R is decomposed into R1(AB) and R2(ACDE). Check the
decomposition is lossy or lossless.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 42

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 21

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 43

Step 3
Now let us insert symbol ‘a’ for A->B in second column, second row

R2 is completely filled => decomposition is lossless.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 44

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 22

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

Q : Consider a relation schema R( X Y Z W P) is decomposed into R1( X

Y ) and R2( Z W ). determine whether the above R1 and R2 are Lossless
or Lossy?

• Not satisfied as Attribute(R1) U Attribute (R2) ( X Y Z W ) ≠ Attribute

(R) = ( X Y Z W P)
• Hence relation R (X Y Z W P) decomposed into R1( X Y ) and R2( Z W )
is a Lossy decomposition.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 45

Q: R = (A, B, C, D, E). We decompose it into R1 = (A, B, C), R2 = (A, D, E).

The set of functional dependencies is: A → BC, CD → E, B → D, E →
A. Show that this decomposition is a lossless-join decomposition.

R1 ∩ R2 = A
(A → BC)
this is a lossless-join decomposition.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 46

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 23

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

How To Find the Closure of a Set of Attributes

(With Examples)
Q: Relation R(A, B, C, D, E).
functional dependencies: {A->B, B->C, C->D, D->E}. Find {A}+
Ans:
• First, we add A to {A}+.
• What columns can be determined given A? We have A -> B, so we
can determine B. Therefore, {A}+ is now {A, B}.
• What columns can be determined given A and B? We have B -> C in
the functional dependencies, so we can determine C. Therefore, {A}+
is now {A, B, C}.
Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 47

• Now, we have A, B, and C. What other columns can we determine?

Well, we have C -> D, so we can add D to {A}+.
• Now, we have A, B, C, and D. Can we add anything else to it? Yes,
since D -> E, we can add E to {A}+.
• We have used all of the columns in R and we have all used all
functional dependencies.
{A} + = {A, B, C, D, E}

Q: We are given R(A, B, C, D, E, F).

The functional dependencies are {AB->C, BC->AD, D->E, CF->B}.
What is {A, B}+?
Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 48

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 24

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

• We start with {A, B}.

• What columns can we determine, given A and B? We have AB -> C, so
we can add C to {A, B}+.
• We now have A, B, and C. What other columns can we determine?
We have BC -> AD. We already have A in {A, B}+, so we can add D.
• So, we now have A, B, C, and D. What else can we add? We have D ->
E, so we can add E to {A, B}+.
• Now {A, B}+ is {A, B, C, D, E}. Can we add anything else? No. We have
one more functional dependency in our set that we did not use: CF ->
B. We can’t use this dependency because F is not in {A, B}+.
• Thus, {A, B}+ = {A, B, C, D, E}

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 49

Equivalence Of Functional Dependencies

• Two FDs F and G sets over schema R are equivalent if F+ = G+
• It means that if every functional dependency of F is in G+ and every
functional dependence of G is in F+, then we would say that the
sets of functional dependencies F and G are equivalent.
If F and G are the two sets of functional dependencies, then
following 3 cases are possible
• Case-01: F covers G (F ⊇ G)
• Case-02: G covers F (G ⊇ F)
• Case-03: Both F and G cover each other (F = G)

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 50

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 25

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 51

Case-01: Determining Whether F Covers G

Step-01:
• Take the functional dependencies of set G into consideration.
• For each functional dependency X → Y, find the closure of X using
the functional dependencies of set G.
Step-02:
• Take the functional dependencies of set G into consideration.
• For each functional dependency X → Y, find the closure of X using
the functional dependencies of set F.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 52

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 26

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

Step-03:
• Compare the results of Step-01 and Step-02.
• If the functional dependencies of set F has determined all those
attributes that were determined by the functional dependencies of
set G, then it means F covers G.
• Thus, we conclude F covers G (F ⊇ G) otherwise not.
Case-02: Determining Whether G Covers F
Step-01:
• Take the functional dependencies of set F into consideration.
• For each functional dependency X → Y, find the closure of X using
the functional dependencies of set F.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 53

Step-02:
• Take the functional dependencies of set F into consideration.
• For each functional dependency X → Y, find the closure of X using
the functional dependencies of set G.
Step-03:
• Compare the results of Step-01 and Step-02.
• If the functional dependencies of set G has determined all those
attributes that were determined by the functional dependencies of
set F, then it means G covers F.
• Thus, we conclude G covers F (G ⊇ F) otherwise not.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 54

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 27

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

Example:
A relation R (A , C , D , E , H) is having two functional dependencies sets F
and G as shown-
Set F
A → C, AC → D, E → AD, E → H
Set G
A → CD, E → AH
Which of the following holds true?
(A) G ⊇ F
(B) F ⊇ G
(C) F = G
(D) All of the above
Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 55

Determining whether F covers G-

Step-01:
(A)+ = { A , C , D } // closure of left side of A → CD using set G
(E)+ = { A , C , D , E , H } // closure of left side of E → AH using set G
Step-02:
(A)+ = { A , C , D } // closure of left side of A → CD using set F
(E)+ = { A , C , D , E , H } // closure of left side of E → AH using set F
• Comparing the results of Step-01 and Step-02
• Functional dependencies of set F can determine all the attributes
which have been determined by the functional dependencies of set
G. Thus, we conclude F covers G i.e. F ⊇ G.
Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 56

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 28

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

Determining whether G covers F-

Step-01:
(A)+ = { A , C , D } // closure of left side of A → C using set F
(AC)+ = { A , C , D } // closure of left side of AC → D using set F
(E)+ = { A , C , D , E , H } // closure of left side of E → AD and E → H
using set F
Step-02:
(A)+ = { A , C , D } // closure of left side of A → C using set G
(AC)+ = { A , C , D } // closure of left side of AC → D using set G
(E)+ = { A , C , D , E , H } // closure of left side of E → AD and E → H
using set G
Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 57

• Comparing the results of Step-01 and Step-02, we find-

• Functional dependencies of set G can determine all the attributes
which have been determined by the functional dependencies of set
F. Thus, we conclude G covers F i.e. G ⊇ F.

Determining whether both F and G cover each other-

• From Step-01, we conclude F covers G.
• From Step-02, we conclude G covers F.
• Thus, we conclude both F and G cover each other i.e. F = G.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 58

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 29

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

CANONICAL COVER
• The canonical cover is defined as a simplified and reduced version
of a given functional dependency.
• The canonical cover is free from all irrelevant functional
dependencies
• The closure of canonical cover is the same as that of a given set of
functional dependency
• The canonical cover is not unique because there may be more than
one canonical cover for a given set of functional dependency.
• It is called irreducible a set of functional dependencies.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 59

Need
• Working with the set containing extraneous functional
dependencies increases the computation time.
• Therefore, the given set is reduced by eliminating the useless
functional dependencies.
• This reduces the computation time and working with the
irreducible set becomes easier.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 60

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 30

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

Example:
Relational scheme R ( W , X , Y , Z ) and the FDs are
{ X → W , WZ → XY , Y → WXZ }. Write the irreducible equivalent
(canonical cover)for this set of functional dependencies.
Step-01:
• Write all the functional dependencies such that each contains
exactly one attribute on its right side.
X → W , WZ → X , WZ → Y, Y → W, Y → X, Y → Z
Step-02:
• Check the essentiality of each functional dependency one by one.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 61

For X → W:
• Considering X → W, (X)+ = { X , W }
• Ignoring X → W, (X)+ = { X }

Now,
• Clearly, the two results are different.
• Thus, we conclude that X → W is essential and can not be
eliminated.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 62

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 31

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

For WZ → X:
• Considering WZ → X, (WZ)+ = { W , X , Y , Z }
• Ignoring WZ → X, (WZ)+ = { W , X , Y , Z }

Now,
• Clearly, the two results are same.
• Thus, we conclude that WZ → X is non-essential and can be
eliminated.
• Eliminating WZ → X, our set of functional dependencies reduces to
X → W , WZ → Y, Y → W, Y → X, Y → Z
• Now, we will consider this reduced set in further checks.
Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 63

For WZ → Y:
• Considering WZ → Y, (WZ)+ = { W , X , Y , Z }
• Ignoring WZ → Y, (WZ)+ = { W , Z }

Now,
• Clearly, the two results are different.
• Thus, we conclude that WZ → Y is essential and can not be
eliminated.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 64

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 32

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

For Y → W:
• Considering Y → W, (Y)+ = { W , X , Y , Z }
• Ignoring Y → W, (Y)+ = { W , X , Y , Z }
Now,
• Clearly, the two results are same.
• Thus, we conclude that Y → W is non-essential and can be
eliminated.
• Eliminating Y → W, our set of functional dependencies reduces to
X → W , WZ → Y, Y → X, Y → Z
• Now, we will consider this reduced set in further checks.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 65

For Y → X:
• Considering Y → X, (Y)+ = { W , X , Y , Z }
• Ignoring Y → X, (Y)+ = { Y , Z }

Now,
• Clearly, the two results are different.
• Thus, we conclude that Y → X is essential and can not be
eliminated.

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 66

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 33

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

For Y → Z:
• Considering Y → Z, (Y)+ = { W , X , Y , Z }
• Ignoring Y → Z, (Y)+ = { W , X , Y }
Now,
• Clearly, the two results are different.
• Thus, we conclude that Y → Z is essential and can not be
eliminated.
• From here, our essential functional dependencies are
X → W, WZ → Y, Y → X, Y → Z

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 67

Step-03:
• Consider the functional dependencies having more than one
attribute on their left side.
• Check if their left side can be reduced.
In our set,
• Only WZ → Y contains more than one attribute on its left side.
• Considering WZ → Y, (WZ)+ = { W , X , Y , Z }
Now,
• Consider all the possible subsets of WZ.
• Check if the closure result of any subset matches to the closure
result of WZ.
Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 68

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 34

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS http://www.youtube.com/c/EDULINEFORCSE
STUDENTS

(W)+ = { W }
(Z)+ = { Z }
Clearly,
• None of the subsets have the same closure result same as that of
the entire left side.
• Thus, we conclude that we can not write WZ → Y as W → Y or Z →
Y.
• Thus, set of functional dependencies obtained in step-02 is the
canonical cover.
X → W, WZ → Y, Y → X, Y → Z

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP EDULINE 69

Prepared By Mr. EBIN PM, AP 35