All you need for normalization is a consistent schema. SQL DDL on an RDBMS can do that but you could just do it with OO patterns. This is what my team does.
My prediction is that the next fad in database land will be normalized NoSQL. We can call it NoNoSQL.
My prediction is that the next fad in database land will be normalized NoSQL. We can call it NoNoSQL.
e: Better idea. No2SQL.