Final answer:
Yes, to enhance performance, one may need to denormalise parts of a database design. Denormalisation can hasten read operations but might lead to data anomalies, so the decision should be considered carefully considering the database's characteristics.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'in order to meet performance requirements, you may have to denormalise portions of the database design is true.
Database normalization is a process used to structure a relational database in order to minimize redundancy and dependency of the data. However, there may be times when this structure sets the database performance back, especially in large databases. In such cases, denormalisation can be used. Denormalisation is a strategy used on a previously-normalised database to increase performance. By denormalising data, we eliminate costly join operations and thereby enhance read performance.
However, denormalised systems can often lead to data anomalies and inconsistencies, so it is important to handle with care. Therefore, the decision to denormalise should be taken carefully, considering the database size, the nature of the applications that use the database, and the pattern of data modification and retrieval.
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