Universal relation assumption

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The universal relation assumption in relational databases states that one can place all data attributes into a (possibly very wide) table, which may then be decomposed into smaller tables as needed. [1]

However, the assumption that a single large table can capture real database designs is often plagued with a number of difficulties. [2] The "nested universal relation" model has attempted to address some of the problems and offer improvements. [3]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Relation (database)</span> Set of tuples consisting of values indexed by attributes

In database theory, a relation, as originally defined by E. F. Codd, is a set of tuples (d1, d2, ..., dn), where each element dj is a member of Dj, a data domain. Codd's original definition notwithstanding, and contrary to the usual definition in mathematics, there is no ordering to the elements of the tuples of a relation. Instead, each element is termed an attribute value. An attribute is a name paired with a domain. An attribute value is an attribute name paired with an element of that attribute's domain, and a tuple is a set of attribute values in which no two distinct elements have the same name. Thus, in some accounts, a tuple is described as a function, mapping names to values.

In database normalization, unnormalized form (UNF), also known as an unnormalized relation or non-first normal form (N1NF or NF2), is a database data model (organization of data in a database) which does not meet any of the conditions of database normalization defined by the relational model. Database systems which support unnormalized data are sometimes called non-relational or NoSQL databases. In the relational model, unnormalized relations can be considered the starting point for a process of normalization. It should not be confused with denormalization, where normalization is deliberately compromised for selected tables in a relational database.

References

  1. I. T. Hawryszkiewycz, Database analysis and design, 1984. ISBN   0-574-21485-2, pages 59–62.
  2. Carlo Zaniolo, Advances in database technology--EDBT 2000, 2000. ISBN   3-540-67227-3, page 276
  3. Mark Levene, The nested universal relation database model, 2000. ISBN   3-540-55493-9, pages 1–5.