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Boyce-Codd Normal Form (BCNF)

By Mike Chapple, About.com

Definition: A relation is in Boyce-Codd Normal Form (BCNF) if every determinant is a candidate key. (See the links in the box at right for definitions of determinant and candidate key.)
Also Known As: BCNF
Examples: Conisder a database table that stores employee information and has the attributes employee_id, first_name, last_name, title. In this table, the field employee_id determines first_name and last_name. Similarly, the tuple (first_name, last_name) determines employee_id.

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