A system and method are disclosed for modeling a non-relational database as a normalized relational database. In one embodiment, the system identifies a column having a first type in a column-oriented, non-relational database; determines whether the column-oriented, non-relational database includes at least one column having a second type and identifies the one or more columns having the second type; virtually divides the column-oriented, non-relational database based on column type; and generates a normalized, relational model based on the virtual division of the column-oriented, non-relational database, the normalized, relational model including catalog information representing a parent table including the column having the first type and, when the column-oriented, non-relational database includes at least one column having the second type, catalogue information representing a child table, the parent table and child table both represented as relational tables.