What does normalization in database design aim to achieve?

Normalization in database design aims to simplify the schema by organizing the data into tables, ensuring that the relationships between the data are clearly defined while reducing redundancy. The process involves breaking down larger tables into smaller, more manageable ones, which leads to an efficient structure where each piece of information is stored only once. This not only streamlines data management but also enhances data integrity by minimizing the risk of anomalies during data insertion, update, or deletion operations.

When a database is properly normalized, it typically results in a design that avoids unnecessary duplication of data, promotes clarity in relationships, and ultimately simplifies maintenance and querying. While normalization may affect data retrieval speeds in varying ways depending on the complexity of the joins required, its primary goal is to maintain a clean and efficient schema rather than purely focusing on performance.