First Normal Form (1NF)
First normal form requires every column to hold atomic values — no repeating groups or nested structures — the foundation of the relational model.
Purpose
To ensure tables meet the most basic relational model requirement, eliminating non-atomic values.
Mechanism
Each row-column cell holds exactly one value — no arrays, nested tables, or repeating groups. For example, an order must not store multiple product IDs in one field; split into an order-items detail table. All relational databases satisfy 1NF by default.
Use cases
- Database design
- Normalization
- Data modeling