3NF
Technology & Computing abbreviation · Data & Database
| Stands for | Third normal form |
|---|---|
| Categories | Technology & Computing |
3NF stands for Third normal form, a data & database abbreviation.
A level of database normalization in which every non-key column depends only on the primary key, with no column depending on another non-key column. Designing tables in 3NF removes most redundancy and update anomalies.
Example: Moving the city into a separate ZIP code table brings the customer table into 3NF.
Usage notes
Defined by Edgar F. Codd in 1971, after first normal form (atomic values) and second normal form (no partial dependency on a composite key). A popular summary says each attribute must depend on "the key, the whole key and nothing but the key". Boyce-Codd normal form is slightly stricter, and data warehouses often denormalize deliberately for faster reads.
Related abbreviations
More data & database abbreviations
- ACID – Atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability
- BASE – Basically available, soft state, eventual consistency
- BI – Business intelligence
- BLOB – Binary large object
- BSON – Binary JSON
- CAP – Consistency, availability, partition tolerance (CAP theorem)
- CDC – Change data capture
- CTE – Common table expression
- DAG – Directed acyclic graph
- DAX – Data Analysis Expressions
- DB – Database
- DBA – Database administrator