What is the difference between functional dependency and transitive dependency in database normalization?

  • A functional dependency is a relationship between two attributes in which one attribute uniquely determines another.
  • A transitive dependency occurs when one non-key attribute determines another non-key attribute.
  • Functional dependency involves a direct relationship between attributes, while transitive dependency involves an indirect relationship.
  • Functional dependency involves a relationship between a key attribute and a non-key attribute.
Functional dependency and transitive dependency are fundamental concepts in database normalization. Functional dependency refers to a situation where the value of one attribute uniquely determines the value of another attribute in a database table. For example, in a table of employees, if the employee ID uniquely determines the employee's email address, we say there is a functional dependency between ID and email. Transitive dependency, on the other hand, occurs when a non-key attribute determines another non-key attribute. For instance, if in the same employee table, the department name is determined by the manager's name, which in turn is determined by the employee ID, then we have a transitive dependency. The goal of normalization is to minimize or eliminate such dependencies to ensure data integrity and reduce redundancy.
Add your answer
Loading...

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *