MPI-I-96-1-026

A survey of self-organizing data structures

Albers, Susanne and Westbrook, Jeffery

MPI-I-96-1-026 . October 1996, 39 pages. | Status: available - back from printing | Next --> Entry | Previous <-- Entry



Abstract in LaTeX format:

This paper surveys results in the design and analysis of self-organizing

data structures for the search problem. We concentrate on two simple but

very popular data structures: the unsorted linear list and the binary search

tree. A self-organizing data structure has a rule or algorithm for

changing pointers or state data. The self-organizing rule is designed to

get the structure into a good state so that future operations can be

processed efficiently. Self-organizing data structures differ from constraint

structures in that no structural invariant, such as a balance constraint in

a binary search tree, has to be satisfied.



In the area of self-organizing linear lists we present a series of

deterministic and randomized on-line algorithms. We concentrate on

competitive algorithms, i.e., algorithms that have a guaranteed performance

with respect to an optimal offline algorithm.

In the area of binary search trees we present both on-line and off-line

algorithms. We also discuss a famous self-organizing

on-line rule called splaying and present important theorems and

open conjectures on splay trees. In the third part of the paper we show

that algorithms for self-organizing lists and trees can be used to build

very effective data compression schemes. We report on theoretical

and experimental results.

Acknowledgement:

References to related material:

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URL to this document: http://domino.mpi-inf.mpg.de/internet/reports.nsf/NumberView/1996-1-026