first normal form (1NF)

First Normal Form (1NF) is a fundamental rule in designing databases that ensures each piece of data is stored in its simplest, indivisible form. This means that each column in a table should contain only atomic (single) values, and each record must be uniquely identifiable without repeating groups or arrays. For example, instead of storing multiple phone numbers in one column, each phone number should have its own record or be stored in a separate related table. This organization makes data easier to manage, search, and maintain accurately.