IPA IP 2026 Question 69
A question IPA Japan published in 令和8年度 ITパスポート試験 公開問題 問69, translated into English. ITPEC is based on the same exams.
Which of the following is an appropriate combination of words and phrases to be inserted into blanks A and B in the description below concerning normalization of data in a relational database?
One of the main purposes of normalization is to eliminate the duplication of data and A.
Normalization has multiple stages, and as it is advanced through them, B.
Explanation
A: maintain consistency, B: one table is divided into multiple tables — normalization removes duplicated data by splitting tables.
When the same fact is stored in many rows, an update can change some copies and miss others, and the data becomes inconsistent. Normalization stores each fact in one place, so eliminating duplication keeps the data consistent. Each stage (first, second, third normal form) moves the repeating or dependent items into tables of their own, so the further normalization goes, the more one table is split into several related tables.
Answer (c)
Why not others:
- •(a) and (b) — improving the compression ratio is the aim of data compression, not of normalization
- •(b) and (d) — merging several tables into one is the opposite of normalization; it reintroduces duplication (denormalization)
Key rule: Normalization = eliminate duplication to keep data consistent, achieved by dividing tables; joining them back is denormalization.
Databases · AI-written, may contain errors
This question comes from the past questions IPA Japan publishes, translated into English by ITPEC Practice. ITPEC Practice is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with IPA or ITPEC. See the original paper (PDF) or Report an issue.