data structures versus data bases???
Terry Reedy
tjreedy at home.com
Sat Nov 10 10:21:19 EST 2001
"husam" <husalwan at sci.kun.nl> wrote in message
news:3BED344B.5050703 at sci.kun.nl...
> hi,
> im trying to learn programming with python. one of the things
confusing
> me is the difference between data structures and data bases. so, can
you
> tell me what the difference is between them?
Examples of data structures: set, list (stack, queue, deque are
specialized examples), dictionary, tree, heap, matrix. A particular
organization of data with associated methods of operation upon them.
An abstract data structure is defined by the interface of the
methods -- what you can do -- rather than by the bit-by-bit
organization of any particular implementation of that structure.
Database: a collection of data on a particular topic using some data
structures.
Example: phone book, address book, a business database of suppliers
and customers, product and services, purchases and sales.
Relational database: a set of tables, each of which is a set/list of
records, each of which is a set/list or association of named fields.
Hope this help a bit.
Terry J. Reedy
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