# Edges using Normalize

**URL:** <https://discuss.dgraph.io/t/edges-using-normalize/15839>\
**Category:** Dgraph\
**Tags:** kind:question, ratel\
**Created:** [October 19, 2021, 12:49pm UTC](https://discuss.dgraph.io/t/edges-using-normalize/15839 "2021-10-19T12:49:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Dave\_Aitel](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/discuss.dgraph.io/dave_aitel/32/8431_2.png) [@Dave\_Aitel](https://discuss.dgraph.io/u/Dave_Aitel)\
**Post date:** [October 19, 2021, 12:49pm UTC](https://discuss.dgraph.io/t/edges-using-normalize/15839/1 "2021-10-19T12:49:18Z")

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![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/uploads/dgraph/original/2X/5/5b29535c70e78b627c34a6c365add5d8d1b276ad.png)

I’m curious why I can’t SEE the edges in the Ratel graph view when using normalize. They SEEM to be in the JSON? Is there something I’m missing?

Thanks!  
Dave

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**Author:** ![MichelDiz](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/discuss.dgraph.io/micheldiz/32/11873_2.png) [@MichelDiz](https://discuss.dgraph.io/u/MichelDiz)\
**Post date:** [October 19, 2021, 3:36pm UTC](https://discuss.dgraph.io/t/edges-using-normalize/15839/2 "2021-10-19T15:36:45Z")

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> [@Dave\_Aitel](#):
>
> normalize

Normalize is a directive that “flats” the data. So you won’t see any relational edge.

> [@Dave\_Aitel](#):
>
> They SEEM to be in the JSON?

All responses from Dgraph are in JSON. (Now we have RDF responses, but that’s a new thing that is not the default)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dave\_Aitel](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/discuss.dgraph.io/dave_aitel/32/8431_2.png) [@Dave\_Aitel](https://discuss.dgraph.io/u/Dave_Aitel)\
**Post date:** [October 19, 2021, 4:43pm UTC](https://discuss.dgraph.io/t/edges-using-normalize/15839/3 "2021-10-19T16:43:21Z")

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So if you have nodeA to nodesB to nodesC…and you want a mapping from nodeA to all nodesC, is that possible with normalize ?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MichelDiz](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/discuss.dgraph.io/micheldiz/32/11873_2.png) [@MichelDiz](https://discuss.dgraph.io/u/MichelDiz)\
**Post date:** [October 19, 2021, 7:17pm UTC](https://discuss.dgraph.io/t/edges-using-normalize/15839/4 "2021-10-19T19:17:23Z")

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Normalize just flats the data. Any information is lost by normalizing it. In general, the children will be part of the parent when flatted.

From docs:

> With the `@normalize` directive, only aliased predicates are returned and the result is flattened to remove nesting.  
> [@normalize Directive - Query language](https://dgraph.io/docs/query-language/normalize-directive/#sidebar)