Definition of a Data Structure & Algorithms. Data structures and algorithms are vital elements in many computing applications. When programmers design and build applications, they need to model ...

Data fields, memo fields, fixed length fields, variable length fields, records, word processing documents, spreadsheets, data files, database tables and indexes are all examples of data structures.

This tutorial launches a short series introducing data structures and algorithms. In Part 1, you’ll learn what a data structure is and how data structures are classified.

Although structured data is easy to grasp, the world of unstructured data and its transformation to more easily understandable, usable and analysable semi-structured data, is less simple.