What does Second Normal Form (2NF) primarily address?

Second Normal Form (2NF) is focused on eliminating partial dependencies in a relational database design. To be in 2NF, a database must first meet the requirements of First Normal Form (1NF), which means that it must not contain repeating groups or arrays, ensuring that each column contains atomic values. Once a table is in 1NF, 2NF then addresses the issue of redundancy caused by partial dependencies—where a non-key attribute is dependent on only part of a composite primary key.

By ensuring that all non-key attributes are fully functionally dependent on the entire primary key, 2NF significantly reduces the amount of duplicate data. This leads to a more organized structure by distributing the data across multiple tables, where each table focuses on a single concept or topic. As a result, it not only minimizes redundancy but also improves the integrity and efficiency of data operations within the database.

The option indicating that it allows for inconsistent data types or adds duplicate records misrepresents the purpose of normalization. Normalization aims to streamline the data by avoiding duplicates and ensuring consistency. The assertion that 2NF eliminates the need for primary keys is incorrect, as primary keys remain essential for uniquely identifying records in a table. Thus, the focus of