Learn VisualLearn DB

Find Facts Stored More Than Once

An update anomaly occurs when the same fact is stored in several rows and only some copies change. A wide order table repeats customer and product facts for every line item. Normalization separates facts by what determines them, reducing the places that one change must reach.

GOAL

Recognize an update anomaly and explain why the table should be split.

Why can deleting a customer's only order accidentally erase the customer's details in the wide table?