When storing a large amount of data, such as 1 lakh (100,000) records or more than that, the choice of data structure depends on the specific requirements and the operations you need to perform on the data.
Here are some data structures that are commonly used and their characteristics:-
➽ Array:-
Arrays are simple and efficient data structures for storing a fixed-size collection of elements. They offer fast access time using index-based access (O(1)), making it suitable for direct access to elements. However, resizing arrays dynamically can be costly, and their size is fixed once initialized.
➽ ArrayList:-
ArrayList is a dynamic array implementation in Java, which means it can automatically resize to accommodate more elements as needed. It provides constant-time access using index (O(1)), but inserting or deleting elements in the middle can be relatively slow (O(n)). ArrayList is generally suitable when you frequently access elements by index and don't need frequent insertions or deletions.
➽ LinkedList:-
A LinkedList is a linear data structure where each element (node) points to the next one in the sequence. Insertions and deletions at any position are fast (O(1)) as it only involves updating pointers, but accessing elements by index takes linear time (O(n)). LinkedList is suitable when you need frequent insertions or deletions at arbitrary positions.
➽ HashMap (or HashSet if no values are stored):-
HashMap is a key-value data structure that provides fast access to elements based on their keys (average O(1) time complexity for retrieval). It is ideal when you need to associate each record with a unique key, and you want fast access to records using that key.
➽ TreeMap (or TreeSet if no values are stored):-
TreeMap is a sorted map implementation that maintains its elements in a sorted order based on the keys. It offers logarithmic time complexity (O(log n)) for insertion, deletion, and search operations, making it suitable for a sorted collection.
➽ HashSet (if no keys or values are stored):-
HashSet is an implementation of a set that stores unique elements with no duplicates. It is useful when you want to store a collection of distinct elements without any specific order.
➽ Summary:-
1) Ultimately, the best data structure for storing 1 lakh data depends on your specific use case and the operations you need to perform most frequently.
2) If you require fast access based on keys, consider using a HashMap.
3) If you need sorted data, TreeMap can be a good choice.
4) For fast index-based access, consider ArrayList.
5) For frequent insertions or deletions at arbitrary positions, LinkedList might be more suitable.
6) If you only need to store distinct elements, HashSet can be used.
7) In some scenarios, a combination of data structures may be the best approach.
8) For instance, you might use a HashMap or TreeMap to quickly locate records by some key.
9) LinkedList or ArrayList to maintain the order of insertion.
10) Choose the data structure that aligns best with your specific requirements to ensure efficient data storage and retrieval.