Data normalization is a process used in data management to organize data in a way that reduces redundancy and improves data integrity. By structuring data into tables and establishing relationships between them, normalization helps ensure that each piece of information is stored only once. This makes it easier to update and maintain the data, as changes need to be made in just one place. In the context of databases, normalization typically involves several stages, known as normal forms. Each normal form has specific rules that help eliminate duplicate data and ensure that the relationships between different data points, such as customers and orders, are clear and efficient. This ultimately leads to better performance and more reliable data analysis.