A key part of any database’s integrity is normalization. This process splits your data into several tables so that it is stored more efficiently. It also reduces your database’s size, meaning it will be faster, space will be saved, and the risk of corruption will be reduced.

To normalize your data, first switch to the Tables section of the database window. Then, click the Tools menu, click Analyze, and click Table.

Then, the wizard will open. The first screen explains why this process is necessary and even offers to show you an example.

The next step explains what the wizard will do. The third window lets you choose which table you want to normalize.

Next, Access will ask you whether you want to choose the fields that go into each table, or let the wizard choose. As we’re just learning this process, we’ll let the wizard choose.

Then, Access will show you how it has grouped the information. You can drag fields between the tables to change them. As well, you should click on the table names to change them.

Once you’re done, click Next. Then, the wizard will ask you to make sure fields are unique. Usually, these settings are fine; you just have to click Next.

Then, the wizard will let you know if it has found any errors. In this case, we have the same location with two different ZIP codes.

You can choose Corrections from that list or just click Next to continue.

Now, the query will be created so that you can see your original table. Here’s an example of our old table (at the top) and the new one (at the bottom):

The contacts have been sorted by their location, removing duplicate information. In the new table, a single column with location information has been added.