What Is Normalization in SQL? – 1NF, 2NF, and 3NF Explained

Introduction

In SQL, text data types are used to store alphanumeric values like names, addresses, emails, and descriptions. Choosing the correct text type — CHAR, VARCHAR, or TEXT — is important for optimizing storage space, query speed, and database performance.

In this section, you'll learn the definitions, differences, and best use cases for each text data type.

1. CHAR (Fixed-Length String)

CHAR is used to store fixed-length strings. If the stored string is shorter than the defined length, SQL automatically pads it with spaces to match the specified size.

Features:

• Fixed length
• Fast and predictable performance
• Uses extra storage if the data is often shorter than the specified length

Syntax:

column_name CHAR(length);

length = number of characters (1 to 255 depending on the database system)

Example:

CREATE TABLE countries (
country_code CHAR(2),
country_name CHAR(50)
    );

country_code like 'US', 'IN', 'UK' will always take 2 characters.

When to Use CHAR:

• Data with a constant size, such as country codes, gender ('M', 'F'), state abbreviations
• Fixed-format fields like credit card types ('VISA', 'MC')
• When exact storage size is known and consistent

2. VARCHAR (Variable-Length String)

VARCHAR stands for Variable Character. It stores variable-length strings, meaning only the actual characters are stored without unnecessary padding.

Features:

• Variable length
• More space-efficient than CHAR for varying-length text
• Slightly slower than CHAR when processing large volumes (because of extra calculations for string lengths)

Syntax:

column_name VARCHAR(length);

length = maximum number of characters allowed

Example:

CREATE TABLE employees (
first_name VARCHAR(50),
email VARCHAR(100)
    );

Names and emails can vary in length, making VARCHAR ideal.

When to Use VARCHAR:

• Data with unpredictable or variable length
• Names, emails, addresses, and descriptions under 255-65535 characters
• Most general-purpose text fields

3. TEXT (Large Text Field)

TEXT is used to store large amounts of text like long descriptions, blog posts, comments, or articles.

Features:

• Meant for large text storage (up to 65,535 characters for standard TEXT in MySQL)
• Cannot have a default value (in some databases like MySQL)
• TEXT fields are stored outside the main table with a pointer reference
• Different variants exist (TINYTEXT, MEDIUMTEXT, LONGTEXT) for various sizes

Syntax:

column_name TEXT;

Example:

CREATE TABLE articles (
id INT,
title VARCHAR(255),
body TEXT
   );

body will store the full article content, which can be very large.

When to Use TEXT:

• Long-form text fields (comments, articles, reviews, reports)
• Data that exceeds normal VARCHAR limits
• When exact storage requirements are unknown or potentially very large

Quick Comparison: CHAR vs VARCHAR vs TEXT

Important Tips

• Use CHAR only when all values will be exactly the same length
• VARCHAR is the best choice for most standard text fields
• Reserve TEXT for content that exceeds VARCHAR limits
• Consider VARCHAR(MAX) in SQL Server for large text that might need indexing
• Be aware that TEXT fields may have limitations on default values and full-text indexing

What Is Normalization?

Normalization is the process of organizing data in a database to reduce data redundancy and improve data integrity. It involves dividing large, complex tables into smaller, well-structured tables and defining relationships between them.

The goal:

Ensure that each piece of data is stored in one place and that the database is efficient and consistent.

Why Is Normalization Important?

• Reduces duplicate data
• Improves data consistency
• Makes updates and deletes more reliable
• Enhances query performance (when indexed properly)
• Simplifies future database changes

The Normal Forms: 1NF, 2NF, and 3NF

First Normal Form (1NF)

A table is in 1NF if:

• All columns contain atomic (indivisible) values
• Each column contains values of the same type
• Each row is unique

Violation Example:

Courses column contains multiple values (not atomic)

Normalized (1NF):

Second Normal Form (2NF)

A table is in 2NF if:

• It is in 1NF
• Every non-key column is fully dependent on the entire primary key
• Applies mostly to tables with composite primary keys

Violation Example:

Here, Product_Name depends only on Product_ID, not the full composite key (Order_ID, Product_ID).

Normalized (2NF):

Orders Table

Products Table

Third Normal Form (3NF)

A table is in 3NF if:

• It is in 2NF
• All columns are only dependent on the primary key
• There are no transitive dependencies

Violation Example:

Here, Dept_Name is dependent on Dept_ID, which is not the primary key (Student_ID) — this is a transitive dependency.

Normalized (3NF):

Students Table

Departments Table

Summary of Normal Forms