13.4.2Identifying Functional Dependencies
Identifying all functional dependencies between a set of attributes should be quite simple
if the meaning of each attribute and the relationships between the attributes are well
understood. This type of information may be provided by the enterprise in the form of discussions
with users and/or appropriate documentation such as the users’ requirements
specification. However, if the users are unavailable for consultation and/or the documentation
is incomplete, then, depending on the database application, it may be necessary for
the database designer to use their common sense and/or experience to provide the missing
information. Example 13.5 illustrates how easy it is to identify functional dependencies
between attributes of a relation when the purpose of each attribute and the attributes’
relationships are well understood.