What is the primary purpose of data normalization?

The primary purpose of data normalization is to minimize redundancy and dependency by organizing fields and tables effectively. This process involves structuring a relational database in a way that reduces duplication of data across different tables and enhances data integrity. By following normalization rules, such as arranging data into related tables and defining relationships between them, the likelihood of anomalies during data manipulation (insertion, deletion, and updating) is reduced.

One of the key outcomes of normalization is that it leads to a more efficient database design. When data is normalized, changes to a single piece of information only need to be made in one place, which makes maintaining and updating the database much simpler and less error-prone.

While enhancing the user interface, optimizing for quicker searches, and ensuring data encryption are important aspects of database management, they do not represent the fundamental goal of normalization. The focus of normalization is specifically on organizing data to promote efficiency and integrity in the management of that data.