Data structure

In computer science, a data structure is a particular way of organizing data in a computer so that it can be used efficiently.

Implementation of abstract data structures

Data structures can implement one or more particular abstract data types (ADT), which are the means of specifying the contract of operations and their complexity.

In comparison, a data structure is a concrete implementation of the contract provided by an ADT.

Applications

Different kinds of data structures are suited to different kinds of applications, and some are highly specialized to specific tasks.

• Databases use B-tree indexes for small percentages of data retrieval
• Compilers and databases use dynamic hash tables as look up tables

Data structures provide a means to manage large amounts of data efficiently for uses such as large databases and internet indexing services.

Algorithms

Usually, efficient data structures are key to designing efficient algorithms.

Design methods

Some formal design methods and programming languages emphasize data structures, rather than algorithms, as the key organizing factor in software design.

See also

• Abstract data type
• Algorithm
• Checksum
• Computing
• Computer science
• Data
• Data (computing)
• Data type
• Hash table
• Linked list
• Random access
• Structure

External links

• Data structure @ Wikipedia