Data hierarchy is the hierarchical grouping of data, in which data leads to a data layer, which leads to another layer below it. Each layer becomes more specific, until the user finds exactly what they are looking for. In addition to helping the user find information, it is also used to create correct answers from programming languages based on user input. Data hierarchy is most often used to catalog data in databases, but is also found in other programming schemes.
man holding computer
In the data hierarchy, all data has its own hierarchy, starting at a broad top level and progressing to a specific lower level. For example, someone wants to find the title of a video game in a database. The hierarchy starts with the type of video game console, then the game’s developer, then the genre, the initial letter of the game’s name, and finally the game itself. Cataloging data in this way makes it easier to find. It also makes it easier for the database when new information is added, ensuring that data is only entered into the correct category.
While all databases have a data hierarchy, they are often programmed differently depending on the database model. For example, in the hierarchical database model, the administrator must enter each piece of data in a parent or child node. The parent is a broad category, while the child is the table that comes after the parent. In the relational model, data is related to each other, so when someone selects a table, related tables appear.
By putting the data in separate hierarchies, it is easier to add it to the database or programming language. If the programmer wants to add a new game made for a console to the game database, it can be difficult to organize it because the game developer often works with several different consoles at the same time. By following the hierarchy, you will know exactly where to put this new data.
Programming languages also use data hierarchy, but in a different way. With programming languages, the driving force is user interaction. The program can ask the user what he is looking for or what his preferences are. The hierarchy will tell the program to react in a certain way or open a branch of data, depending on what the user clicks or enters. The data hierarchy, in this sense, is often divided into different programming objects, so that each hierarchy is its own encapsulated unit.
