Definition

1. Noun:
   • (Computer Science) The organization of data (and its storage allocations in a computer): A "data structure" is a specialized format for organizing, processing, retrieving, and storing data. It defines a particular way of arranging data so it can be used efficiently.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Choosing the right data structure is crucial for algorithm efficiency.
  • Arrays, linked lists, and trees are all common types of data structures.
  • The programmer implemented a queue data structure to handle the requests.

Advanced Usage

• "Abstract data structure": A theoretical model that specifies the operations that can be performed on the data and the mathematical constraints of these operations, independent of a specific implementation.

  • A stack is an abstract data structure defined by its Last-In, First-Out (LIFO) behavior.

• "Underlying data structure": The specific concrete implementation of an abstract data type.

  • The dictionary's underlying data structure was a hash table for fast lookups.

Variants and Related Words

• Data structuring (n): The act or process of organizing data into a structure.

  • Data structuring is a fundamental skill in software development.

• Data-structured (adj): Organized according to a specific data structure.

  • The information was stored in a data-structured format.

Synonyms

• Data organization: The systematic arrangement of data.
• Storage structure: Emphasizes the aspect of how data is laid out in memory.

Related Phrases

• "To traverse a data structure": To visit and process each element in a data structure.

  • The function needs to traverse the entire tree data structure.

• "To populate a data structure": To fill a data structure with data.

  • We will populate the array data structure with values from the sensor.

Related Idioms

• "A square peg in a round hole" (Conceptual Analogy): While not a direct idiom for "data structure," this phrase can conceptually describe using an inappropriate data structure for a task, leading to inefficiency.
  • Using a list for constant-time lookups is like putting a square peg in a round hole; you should use a hash map data structure instead.

Noun

1. (computer science) the organization of data (and its storage allocations in a computer)