Normalization is a process used in data management to organize information in a way that reduces redundancy and improves data integrity. By structuring data into tables and defining relationships between them, normalization helps ensure that each piece of information is stored only once. This makes it easier to update, delete, or retrieve data without causing inconsistencies. In the context of databases, normalization typically involves several stages, known as normal forms. Each stage has specific rules that help refine the data structure. For example, the first normal form (1NF) requires that all entries in a table are unique and that each column contains atomic values, meaning they cannot be divided further.