The process of eliminating redundancy in a database is called
2026
The process of eliminating redundancy in a database is called
- A.
Replication
- B.
Virtualization
- C.
Normalization
- D.
Minimization
Attempted by 3 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept
Database normalization is the systematic process of organizing a relational database's tables and columns according to a series of formal rules (the normal forms: 1NF, 2NF, 3NF, BCNF), using functional-dependency analysis to guide how tables are decomposed. The goal is to keep each fact stored in only one place -- removing repeating groups and reducing redundant (duplicate) data, which lowers the risk of insertion, update, and deletion anomalies.
Application to this question
The question asks for the name of the process whose goal is specifically to eliminate redundancy in a database. Normalization is directed at exactly this: it decomposes tables using functional-dependency analysis and applies the normal-form rules so that each piece of information is intended to appear only once, directly matching what the stem describes.
Why the other options do not fit
Replication: creates and maintains additional copies of the same data across multiple servers or nodes (for availability and read scaling) -- this increases the number of copies of data, the opposite of eliminating redundancy.
Virtualization: abstracts physical database server hardware and resources into one or more logical (virtual) instances for resource management and consolidation -- it does not change how data is structured within a schema.
Minimization: is a data-governance and privacy principle about limiting how much personal data is collected and retained, not a formal schema-design technique for restructuring tables.
Therefore, the process of eliminating redundancy in a database is Normalization.