SEMANTIC CONSIDERATIONS ON MULTIVATED DEPENDENCIES IN RELATIONAL DATABASES.

The semantic aspects of multi-valued dependencies are discussed as they relate to database design. The difference between Boyce-Codd normal form and fourth normal form is clarified. It is shown that the real transitivity condition for multivalued dependencies does not hold in a natural sense. It is also shown that a rule which is a mixture of functional and multivated dependencies has the same problem as the transitivity rule.