Lecture 1

Data Structures
Aamir Zia
 Introduction
• Course outline
• Rules and regulations
• Course contents
• Good Programming Practices
• Data Types and Data Structures
• ADT
 Course Description
• Title: Data Structures and Algorithms
• Code: CMP-210
• Credit Hours:3
• Prerequisite: OOP
• Follow Up: Design and Analysis of Algorithms
 Contents
• Introduction to Algorithms
• Arrays
• Stacks
• Recursion
• Queues
• Lists and its variations
• Trees
• Hashing
• Searching and sorting Techniques
• Graphs
 Good Programming Practices
• Programs and subprograms should be well structured.
 Use a modular approach for a complex problem.
 Use the basic control structures when developing each code
segment.
 Sequence, selection, repetition
 Use local variables within subprograms.
 Use parameters to pass information to and from subprograms.
 Avoid global Variables.
• All source code should be documented.
 Each program should include opening documentation.
 Each subprogram should be documented in a manner similar to
programs.
 Comments should be used to explain key code segments and / or
segments whose purpose or design is not obvious.
 Use meaningful identifiers.
 Good Programming Practices
• Source code should be aesthetic; it should be formatted in a
style that enhances its readability.
 Put each statement of the program on a separate line.
 Use uppercase and lowercase letters in a way that contributes to
program readability.
 Put each {and} on separate lines.
 Align each {and corresponding}.
 When a statement is continued from one line to another, indent
the continued line(s).
 Align the identifiers in each constant and variable declaration,
placing each on a separate line.
 Insert blank lines between declarations and statements and
between blocks of statements to make clear the structure of the
program.
 Data Types
In computer programming, a data type is a classification
identifying one of various types of data, such as floating-point,..
• Simple (basic)
– char, int, float, double
• Modifiers
– signed, unsigned
• Qualifiers
– static, const, volatile, void
• Structured (derived)
– Arrays, structures, unions, classes
• Advanced (composite)
– List, queues, stacks, trees, graphs
 Data Structures and algorithms
• Algorithms
– Outline, the essence of a computational procedure, step by step
instruction
• Program
– An implementation of an algorithm in some computer
programming languages
• Data Structures Data may be organized in many
– Goal: organize data different ways. the logical and
– Criteria: facilitate efficient mathematical model of a
• storage of data particular organization of data
is called Data structure
• retrieval of data
• manipulation of data
• Process:
– select and design appropriate data types
Need for Data Structures
 Data structures organize data 
more efficient programs.
 More powerful computers  more
complex applications.
 More complex applications
demand more calculations.
 Organizing Data
 Any organization for a collection
of records that can be searched,
processed in any order, or
modified.
 The choice of data structure and
algorithm can make the difference
between a program running in a
few seconds or many days.
 Efficiency
 A solution is said to be efficient if
it solves the problem within its
resource constraints.
– Space
– Time

 The cost of a solution is the

amount of resources that the
solution consumes.
 Selecting a Data
Structure
Select a data structure as follows:
1. Analyze the problem to
determine the resource
constraints a solution must meet.
2. Determine the basic operations
that must be supported. Quantify
the resource constraints for each
operation.
3. Select the data structure that
best meets these requirements.
 Examples
Searching an online phone directory: Linear search?
OK for small organizations
too slow for large ones
 Amount of data is an important factor.

Compiler lookup of an identifier's type, etc. in a symbol table:

Linear search? No, too slow
Binary search? No, too much work to keep sorted
 Number of accesses & speed required is an important factor.
Use hash tables

Text processing: Store in an array / vector?

OK for text analysis — word counts, average word length, etc.
Not for word-processing — Too inefficient if many insertions & deletions
   Static vs. dynamic nature of the data is an important factor
 Abstract Data Type (ADT)
• Abstraction
– Separating data from implementation
– Generalization
– a concept or idea not associated with any specific
instance
• ADT(Abstract Data Type)
– A collection of related data items together with basic
operations between them and operations to be performed
on them
– A data type is a collection of values and set of operation on
those values
• values and operation that are implemented using a hardware or
software data structure
abstract data type (ADT)

a collection of
related data items together with
an assoicated set of operations

e.g. whole numbers (integers) and arithmetic operators for

addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Why "abstract?"
Data, operations, and relations are studied
independent of implementation.

What not how is the focus.

implementation of an ADT

consists of
storage structures (aka data structures) to store the data items
and
algorithms for the basic operations and relations.

The storage structures/data structures used in implementation are

provided in a language (primitive or built-in)
or built from the language constructs (user-defined).

In either case, successful software design uses data abstraction:

Separating the definition of a data type from its implementation.
 Goals of this Course
1. Reinforce the concept that costs and
benefits exist for every data structure.

2. Learn the commonly used data

structures.
– These form a programmer's basic data
structure “toolkit”.

3. Understand how to measure the cost

of a data structure or program.
– These techniques also allow you to judge
the merits of new data structures that you
or others might invent.