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database-designmethodologyfunctional-dependencies

Database Design - functional dependency methodology


Is there any standard methodology (step-by-step system) to determine the functional dependencies of a database? Maybe an algorithm that i could apply?I'm trying to optimize a beta database model i have created for a site like imdb and to work through Armstrong's axioms seems impossible for a huge database model, like the one i have created.Thanks in advance!


Solution

  • Functional dependencies are really business rules, i.e. statements about the real world to be modelled in a database. There is no tool or shortcut that can decide them for you. You have to discover functional dependencies through proper analysis and understanding of the problem domain.