BTEC Unit 2: Creating systems to managing information
Student Activity Booklet
Student Name: ___________________________
Class: ___________________________
,Database Normalisation
Learning Objectives
By the end of this booklet, students should be able to:
1. Understand the purpose of database normalisation.
2. Identify data anomalies (insertion, update, deletion).
3. Apply normalization: 1NF, 2NF, and 3NF to given datasets.
4. Normalise unstructured tables into well-structured forms.
1. Introduction to Normalisation
Normalisation is the process of organising data in a database to reduce redundancy and
improve data integrity.
Why normalise?
• to eliminate data duplication
• to void anomalies.
• To ensure consistent data storage
Activity 1: Quick Brainstorm
1. Why might having the same piece of data stored in multiple places cause problems?
2. Give a real-life example where repeated data could lead to inconsistencies.
2. Data Anomalies
Example Table: Orders
OrderID CustomerName CustomerAddress Product Price
101 Alice Brown 12 Oak Street Laptop £800
102 Alice Brown 12 Oak Street Mouse £20
103 John White 55 Pine Road Laptop £800
1|Page
, Activity 2: Spot the Issues
1. What happens if Alice changes her address?
2. What happens if a new customer is added but hasn’t ordered yet?
3. What if we delete John’s Laptop order—what data might we lose unintentionally?
3. First Normal Form (1NF)
Rule: Eliminate repeating groups; ensure each field contains atomic values.
Example (Unnormalised):
studentID studentName Courses
1 Emma Green Math, Physics
Converted to 1NF:
studentID studentName Courses
1 Emma Green Math
1 Emma Green Physics
Activity 3: Apply 1NF
Take the following table and rewrite it into 1NF:
EmpID EmpName Skills
E011 Sarah Jones Java, SQL, Python
4. Second Normal Form (2NF)
Rule: Must be in 1NF; remove partial dependencies (non-key attributes depending on part of a
composite key).
2|Page
Student Activity Booklet
Student Name: ___________________________
Class: ___________________________
,Database Normalisation
Learning Objectives
By the end of this booklet, students should be able to:
1. Understand the purpose of database normalisation.
2. Identify data anomalies (insertion, update, deletion).
3. Apply normalization: 1NF, 2NF, and 3NF to given datasets.
4. Normalise unstructured tables into well-structured forms.
1. Introduction to Normalisation
Normalisation is the process of organising data in a database to reduce redundancy and
improve data integrity.
Why normalise?
• to eliminate data duplication
• to void anomalies.
• To ensure consistent data storage
Activity 1: Quick Brainstorm
1. Why might having the same piece of data stored in multiple places cause problems?
2. Give a real-life example where repeated data could lead to inconsistencies.
2. Data Anomalies
Example Table: Orders
OrderID CustomerName CustomerAddress Product Price
101 Alice Brown 12 Oak Street Laptop £800
102 Alice Brown 12 Oak Street Mouse £20
103 John White 55 Pine Road Laptop £800
1|Page
, Activity 2: Spot the Issues
1. What happens if Alice changes her address?
2. What happens if a new customer is added but hasn’t ordered yet?
3. What if we delete John’s Laptop order—what data might we lose unintentionally?
3. First Normal Form (1NF)
Rule: Eliminate repeating groups; ensure each field contains atomic values.
Example (Unnormalised):
studentID studentName Courses
1 Emma Green Math, Physics
Converted to 1NF:
studentID studentName Courses
1 Emma Green Math
1 Emma Green Physics
Activity 3: Apply 1NF
Take the following table and rewrite it into 1NF:
EmpID EmpName Skills
E011 Sarah Jones Java, SQL, Python
4. Second Normal Form (2NF)
Rule: Must be in 1NF; remove partial dependencies (non-key attributes depending on part of a
composite key).
2|Page
