sql-server add tag
igelr (imported from SE)
1NF rule says that we should not keep data of different types in one single column. Does it mean that sql_variant is not compatible with first normal form hence should not be used?
Top Answer
Paul White (imported from SE)
>1NF rule says that we should not keep data of different types in one single column.

There's no general agreement about exactly what *first normal form* (1NF) means in detail. Personally, I prefer Chris Date's current interpretation, which simply states that all relation variables (relvars) are in 1NF by definition.

>Does it mean that sql_variant is not compatible with first normal form hence should not be used?

This is a bit imprecise since normal forms are properties of the logical model, whereas `sql_variant` is a physical (SQL Server-specific) type. We would need to define a mapping from relational model *type* (or domain) to physical implementation for this to truly make sense.

Nevertheless, I will say that `sql_variant` is not *inherently* an indication that the associated model violates 1NF - so long as the model defines the range of allowable attribute values to match those storable in `sql_variant` (with or without suitable constraints). The fact that `sql_variant` can store values of several different underlying types is neither here nor there. We might as well argue that *float* types violate 1NF since they can contain integers as well as reals etc.

In other words, a physical table using `sql_variant` *can* be a valid representation of a relation variable (within the general limitations of SQL anyway). It simply depends on what the underlying logical model says about the range of values allowed in the attribute.

Consider also that whatever we might physically store in a `sql_variant` might also be stored in a string representation, or as a binary value. String and binary values do not necessarily violate 1NF, so why should `sql_variant`? Similar arguments can be made about `xml` or `json` (and array types for databases that support such things).

All of the above is orthogonal to the question of whether using `sql_variant` is a feature of a "good" design/implementation [or not][1].

Further reading:

* [Facts and Fallacies about First Normal Form][2] by Anith Sen
* [First Normal Form in Theory and Practice][3] by Fabian Pascal
* [The Third Manifesto][4] - C J Date and Hugh Darwen
* https://dba.stackexchange.com/q/161119 (Q & A)

#### Footnote

[Walter Mitty](https://dba.stackexchange.com/users/1050/walter-mitty) said:


> In relational maths, some domains may have relations as elements.  If such a domain were used as the basis for an attribute in another relation, the result would not be in what Codd originally without reducing the expressive power of the model was the whole point.  
>   
> Relvars eliminate this kind of nesting by definition, as stated.  Beginners often get around the restriction in physical design by storing CSV strings in columns. There are consequences of such designs with regard to keyed access to data.


  [1]: https://brentozar.com/archive/2017/03/no-seriously-dont-use-sql_variant/
  [2]: https://www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/sql/learn-sql-server/facts-and-fallacies-about-first-normal-form/
  [3]: http://www.dbdebunk.com/2016/03/real-data-science-first-normal-form-in.html
  [4]: http://www.thethirdmanifesto.com/

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