I was reminded of the importance of database normalization today as I worked on a database for a third-party learning management system that was not normalized. Due to a glitch somewhere a student was assigned to all the parts of 12 courses in the database without being assigned to any of the 12 courses. The result was that the student expected to take the courses, but was not given access to any of them.

A normalized database would list assignment to the parts of a course as an extension to being assigned to the course, you would not be able to be assigned to the course without being assigned to it’s elements, nor could you be assigned to an element of a course without having access to the course.