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From: vollmer@cod.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: Normalized Databases
Message-ID: <599@cod.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 5-Apr-87 00:40:08 EST
Article-I.D.: cod.599
Posted: Sun Apr  5 00:40:08 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 5-Apr-87 19:46:43 EST
References: <43239@beno.seismo.CSS.GOV>
Distribution: na
Organization: Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego
Lines: 19

in article <43239@beno.seismo.CSS.GOV>, tiberio@seismo.CSS.GOV (Mike Tiberio) 
says:
> 
> At our facility we have a certain large investment in a relational database
> design that is not in the highest normal form. We have some folks proposing
> that we redesign our database (and no doubt out database interface software)
> to a greater or highest normal form.....

A real world problem I have had with going overboard with normal forms
is that many of the DBMS 4GL application building tools have a
real problem trying to put the whole thing back together again.

You have data safely tucked away in "their own" relations and spend a
lot of time trying to kludge the application tools to try to make
reports and data entry sessions not look like they are aimed at 1001 tables.

There are real gains from normalization, but the problem is trying
to balance performance and use of the 4GL tools on the design.  That
balance is both the fun and the art of making relational work.