Microsoft® SQL Server 2012 Unleashed

Denormalization Guidelines

When should you denormalize a database? Consider the following points:

Be sure you have a good overall understanding of the logical design of the system. This knowledge helps in determining how other parts of the application are going to be affected when you change one part of the system.

Don’t attempt to denormalize the entire database at once. Instead, focus on the specific areas and queries that are accessed most frequently and are suffering from performance problems.

Understand the types of transactions and the volume ...