What is Data Structure?
Data Structure is a systematic way to store and organize data so that it can be used efficiently. For example arrays, Linked List, Stack, Queue, etc. are data structures. Whether it is Operating System, Compiler Design, Artificial intelligence, Graphics or anything else, Data structure is useful in every aspect of computer science. Data structure is associated with algorithms that allows programmers to handle data in efficient ways and enhance the performance of the application.
Every data structure has its own interface that represents the operations it supports. Interface provides the list of supported operations and type of parameters only. Implementation provides the internal representation of data structure along with the definition of the algorithms used in the operations of that data structure.
Why Data Structure is required?
Applications are getting complex and data is crucial as well. The applications therefore faces several problems now-a-days that can easily be resolved with data safety by using data structures. Let’s have a look on the issues arising in lack of DS:
Multiple Requests: There may be thousands of user search for data at the same time on a web server. In such case, a fast server also fails while searching the data.
Data Search: Let us assume an inventory of 1 million (10⁶) items of a store. If the application is to search an item, it has to search an item in 1 million (10⁶) items every time slowing down the search. As data grows, search will become slower
Processor Speed: Processor speed although being very high, falls limited if the data grows to billion records.
A data structure can organize data in such a way that all items may not be required to be searched, and the required data can easily be searched instantly.
Benefits of Data Structure
As we have already discussed it can arrange and store data in a proper manner. Let us have a look on the benefits of using DS in our applications:
Re-usability: Data structures are reusable. We have implement a DS only once and then we can use it at any other place. We can compile an implementation of a DS into libraries which can be used by different clients.
Efficiency: A program will be more efficient if we choose the best suited DS for it. Let’s take an example to search a particular record in a set of data. If we organize that data in an array, we will have to search sequentially for the particular record. That means using an array may not be the best suit here. There are better data structures that can make the search process efficient like ordered array, binary search tree or hash tables.
Abstraction: DS is specified by the ADT which provides a level of abstraction. The client program uses the data structure through interface only, without getting into the implementation details.
Mentor:Anjali Mourya
