As the core of a previous project, a Web-based tool, called LDBN(Learn DataBase Normalization), was developed. The purpose of this tool is to provide an interactive learning environment for the normalization of relational database schemata whose constraints are defined by functional dependencies (FDs).
As a part of this project, some crucial extensions to LDBN, based upon these observations, are developed. The most significant extension is a tool for the visualization of FDs, based upon templates found in popular textbooks. Often, such visual representations are much easier for humans to grasp than purely text-based representations. However, this extension does not compromise the existing capabilities of LDBN. In addition, we present some other shortcomings of the previous version of LDBN and our approach to deal with those, in particular issues surrounding user privileges.
Source: Umeå University
Authors: Georgiev, Nikolay