Data Structure Centered Design

Data Structure Centered Design (DSCD) is a software engineering approach that notifies data structures as the centerpiece of the design and implementation of software system. DSCD stands for data structure and control discipline and thus it concerns itself with what data structures are relevant for efficient manipulation of data, as opposed to focusing on abstractions or object-oriented hierarchies.

In the DSCD there are no generalized criteria for choosing specific data structures; it all depends on the needs and peculiarities of the application. This approach is most useful in areas where good management of data is of paramount importance such as databases, information retrieval and computational geometry.

Hence, by focusing on DSCD, developers should be able to design and develop software that is composed of loosely coupled, reusable and, maintainable components. It allows them to exclude implementation details in the broad sense and provide descriptions of understandable interfaces or, in other words, interactions between several components that constitute a system.