fourth normal form (4NF)

Fourth Normal Form (4NF) is a way to organize data in a database to reduce redundancy and prevent certain types of unwanted data duplication. It ensures that if a table contains multiple sets of data that are independent of each other, these sets are stored separately. For example, if a table lists projects, employees, and skills, and different employees can have multiple skills independently of projects, 4NF separates these to avoid repeating information unnecessarily. This organization improves data integrity, makes updates easier, and minimizes inconsistencies or errors in the database.