Database Normalization Is for Sissies
Sorry, I rarely do link posts, but this is a must read (even if it is old news).
It’s a tongue and cheek look at database normalization. Ironically enough, it was given as a presentation to the data storage guys over at Microsoft.
As for the author, it was none other than Pat Helland. If you aren’t familiar with him, one of his other well-known works was Life Beyond Distributed Transactions: An Apostate’s Opinion. You can find a profile of him here.
He designed the architecture for the MS DTC, the new SQL Server Broker, and spent a couple years working on the product catalog over at Amazon.
You can find the presentation slides on his blog.