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Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) Tutorial

Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) Tutorial

Data structures and algorithms (DSA) are two important aspects of any programming language. Every
programming language has its own data structures and different types of algorithms to handle these
data structures.

Data Structures are used to organise and store data to use it in an effective way when performing data
operations.

Algorithm is a step-by-step procedure, which defines a set of instructions to be executed in a certain

Almost every enterprise application uses various types of data structures in one or the other way. So,
as a programmer, data structures and algorithms are really important aspects of day-to-day
programming.

A data structure is a particular way to arrange data so it can be saved in memory and
retrieved for later use where as an algorithm is a set of steps for solving a known problem.
Data Structures and Algorithms is abbreviated as DSA in the context of Computer Science.

This tutorial will give you a great understanding on Data Structures needed to understand the
complexity of enterprise level applications and need of algorithms, and data structures.

Why to Learn Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA)?

As applications are getting complex and data rich, there are three common problems that applications
face now-a-days.

Data Search − Consider an inventory of 1 million(106) items of a store. If the application is to

Processor speed − Processor speed although being very high, falls limited if the data grows
to billion records.
Multiple requests − As thousands of users can search data simultaneously on a web server,
even the fast server fails while searching the data.

To solve the above-mentioned problems, data structures come to rescue. Data can be organized in a
data structure in such a way that all items may not be required to be searched, and the required data
can be searched almost instantly.

How to start learning Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA)?

The basic steps to learn DSA is as follows:

Step 1 - Learn Time and Space complexities

Time and Space complexities are the measures of the amount of time required to execute the code
(Time Complexity) and amount of space required to execute the code (Space Complexity).

Step 2 - Learn Different Data Structures

Here we learn different types of data structures like Array, Stack, Queye, Linked List et.

Step 3 - Learn Different Algorithms

Once you have good undertanding about various data sturtcures then you can start learning
associated algorithms to process the data stored in these data structures. These algorithms include
searching, sorting, and other different algorithms.

Applications of Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA)

From the data structure point of view, following are some important categories of algorithms −
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Search − Algorithm to search an item in a data structure.

Sort − Algorithm to sort items in a certain order.

Insert − Algorithm to insert item in a data structure.

Update − Algorithm to update an existing item in a data structure.

Delete − Algorithm to delete an existing item from a data structure.

The following computer problems can be solved using Data Structures −

Fibonacci number series

Knapsack problem
Tower of Hanoi

All pair shortest path by Floyd-Warshall

Project scheduling

Who Should Learn DSA

This tutorial has been designed for Computer Science Students as well as Software Professionals
who are willing to learn data Structures and Algorithm (DSA) Programming in simple and easy steps.

After completing this tutorial you will be at intermediate level of expertise from where you can take
yourself to higher level of expertise.

DSA Online Editor & Compiler

In this tutorial, we will work with data structures and algorithms in four different programming
languages: C, C++, Java, Python. So, we provide Online Compilers for each of these languages to
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execute the given code. Doing so, we are aiming to compromise the need for local setup for the
compilers.

C C++ Java Python

Open Compiler

#include <stdio.h>
int main(){
int LA[3] = {}, i;
for(i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
LA[i] = i + 2;
printf("LA[%d] = %d \n", i, LA[i]);
}
return 0;
}

Output

LA [0] = 2
LA [1] = 3
LA [2] = 4

Prerequisites to Learn DSA

Before proceeding with this tutorial, you should have a basic understanding of C programming
language, text editor, and execution of programs, etc.

DSA Online Quiz

This Data Structures Algorithms tutorial helps you prepare for technical interviews and certification
exams. We have provided various quizzes and assignments to check your learning level. Given
quizzes have multiple choice type of questions and their answers with short explanation.

Following is a sample quiz, try to attempt any of the given answers:

Q - A complete graph can have

A - n2 spanning trees

B - nn - 2 spanning trees
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C - nn + 1 spanning trees

D - nn spanning trees

Answer : B

Explanation
At maximum, a complete graph can have nn - 1 spanning trees.

Start your online quiz Start Data Structures Algorithms Quiz.

DSA Jobs and Opportunities

Professionals in DSA are in high demands as more and more organizations rely on them to solve
complex problems and make data-driven decisions. You can earn competitive salaries, and the
specific pay can vary based on your location, experience, and job role.

Many top companies are actively recruiting experts in DSA, and they offer roles such as Software
Engineer, Data Scientist, Machine Learning Engineer, and more. These companies need individuals
who can solve complex problems, analyse data, and create algorithms to drive their business forward.
Here is the list of few such companies −

Google

Amazon
Microsoft

Apple
Adobe

JPMorgan Chase
Goldman Sachs

Walmart
Johnson & Johnson

Airbnb
Tesla

These are just a few examples, and the demand for DSA professionals is continually growing across
various sectors. By developing expertise in these areas, you can open up a wide range of career
opportunities in some of the world's leading companies.
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To get started, there are user-friendly tutorials and resources available to help you master DSA. These
materials are designed to prepare you for technical interviews and certification exams, and you can
learn at your own pace, anytime and anywhere.

Frequently Asked Questions about DSA

There are many Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Data Structures and Algorithms due to the
complex nature of this concept. In this section, we will try to answer some of them briefly.

What Are Data Structures and Algorithms?

A data structure is a collection of similar or different data types, and is used to store and modify data
using programming languages. And, an algorithm is defined as a set of instructions that must be
followed to solve a problem.

Data Structures and Algorithms is a study of such data structures and the algorithms that use them.

What is the best programming language for data structures and algorithms?

The best programming language to work with data structures is C++, due to its efficiency and
abundant resources for data structures. Despite that, any programming language can be the best pick
to work with data structures if you are fluent in it.

Which is the best place to learn Data Structures?

Here are the summarized list of tips which you can follow to start learning Data Structures.

Follow our tutorial step by step from the very beginning.

Read more articles, watch online courses or buy reference books on Data Structures to
enhance your knowledge.

Try to execute a small program using data structures in any programming language to check
your knowledge in these concepts.

Is array a Data Type or Data Structure?

A datatype is a type of value a variable holds. These values can be numeric, string, characters, etc. An
array is defined as a collection of similar type of values stored together. Hence, it is more likely to be a
data structures storing values of same datatype.
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What Should I Learn First: Data Structures or Algorithms?

Data Structures organize the data used in algorithms. They are the foundation of computations
performed using algorithms. Hence, learning data structures is recommended first, as it becomes
easier to understand the concept of Algorithms with all the prior knowledge.

Data Structures and Algorithms in Real Life!

Not only in software development, but we can observe the use of data structures in our day-to-day life
as well. For instance, piling up plates and removing them one-by-one is the simpler example on how
stack data structure organizes its data. Similarly, queueing up to buy movie tickets has the same
mechanism as inserting and deleting the data from a queue.

In software development, developing navigation maps using graph data structure is also a common
real life application.

Need of Data Structures and Algorithms for Deep Learning and Machine Learning

Machine Learning and Deep Learning work with mathematical computations and large sets of data.
Organizing this data properly becomes crucial in order to process these data-sets for training and
deploying suitable models on them. Hence, having a deep knowledge in Data Structures and
Algorithms is important while working with Machine Learning and Deep Learning.

What is The Difference Between Data Type and Data Structure?

A datatype defines the type of value stored in a variable. This decides the type of operations
performed and functions called on these values. Whereas, a data structure is a collection of similar or
different types of data, which is used to organize and manipulate data in a program.

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