In computer science, a data structure is a data organization and storage format that is usually chosen for efficientaccess to data.[1][2][3] More precisely, a data structure is a collection of data values, the relationships among them, and the functions or operations that can be applied to the data,[4] i.e., it is an algebraic structure about data.
Usage
Data structures serve as the basis for abstract data types (ADT). The ADT defines the logical form of the data type. The data structure implements the physical form of the data type.[5]
Various types of data structures are suited to different kinds of applications, and some are highly defined to specific tasks. For example, relational databases commonly use B-tree indice for data retrieval,[6] while compilerimplementations usually use hash tables to look up identifiers.[7]
Data structures provide a means to manage large amounts of data efficiently for uses such as large databases and internet indexing services. Usually, efficient data structures are key to designing efficient algorithms. Some formal design methods and programming languages emphasize data structures, rather than algorithms, as the key organizing factor in software design. Data structures can be used to organize the storage and retrieval of data stored in both main memory and secondary memory.[8]
^ Cormen, Thomas H.; Leiserson, Charles E.; Rivest, Ronald L.; Stein, Clifford (2009). Introduction to Algorithms, Third Edition (3rd ed.). The MIT Press. ISBN978-0262033848。
^ Black, Paul E. (2004年12月15日). 「データ構造」. Pieterse, Vreda; Black, Paul E. (編). Dictionary of Algorithms and Data Structures [online] . National Institute of Standards and Technology . 2018年11月6日閲覧.
^ 「データ構造」. Encyclopaedia Britannica . 2017年4月17日. 2018年11月6日閲覧.
^ Wegner, Peter; Reilly, Edwin D. (2003年8月29日). Encyclopedia of Computer Science. Chichester, UK: John Wiley and Sons. pp. 507– 512. ISBN 978-0470864128。