Normalization is the process of organizing a database to reduce redundancy and improve data integrity. You decompose large tables into smaller, well-structured ones and define the relationships between them, so each fact is stored once.
It matters because:
Removing duplicate data saves storage and removes copies that could disagree.
It prevents update anomalies, because a change is made in only one place.
Data integrity improves, with fewer chances of inconsistent data.
The structure is easier to maintain and modify.
The cost is more tables to manage and more JOINs in queries, which can slow reads.
Rewriting in plainer words…
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