Which of the following options in a table would violate the First Normal Form (1NF) rules of normalization in accounting data?

• A. A column with only numeric values representing account balances
• B. A column containing multiple invoice numbers separated by commas
• C. A table where each row represents a single transaction
• D. A column with unique customer IDs

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of First Normal Form (1NF): In database normalization, 1NF requires that each column in a table contains atomic (indivisible) values, meaning no lists or sets of values are allowed within a single cell.
2. Analyze the options provided: Evaluate each option to determine whether it violates the 1NF rule by containing non-atomic values.
3. Option 1: 'A column with only numeric values representing account balances' - This does not violate 1NF because each cell contains a single numeric value, which is atomic.
4. Option 2: 'A column containing multiple invoice numbers separated by commas' - This violates 1NF because the cell contains multiple values (invoice numbers) separated by commas, which is not atomic.
5. Option 3: 'A table where each row represents a single transaction' and Option 4: 'A column with unique customer IDs' - Both of these options comply with 1NF as they ensure atomicity and uniqueness in their respective contexts.