Representation of B-Tree in C
A B-tree is organized as a balanced tree with the following properties-
- Each node of the data structure can contain several keys with pointers to their child nodes.
- Balancing of nodes is done by applying limits key constraints on the maximum and minimum number of keys a node can carry.
- Each leaf is comparable to the next, thereby eliminating any queue or wait time.
struct BTreeNode {
int num_keys; // Number of keys currently in the node
int keys[M-1]; // Array of keys
struct BTreeNode *children[M]; // Array of child pointers
bool is_leaf; // True if node is a leaf
};
To implement a B-tree in C, we define a node structure representing the elements of the tree. Here’s an example:
The ‘BTreeNode’ structure represents a node in the B-tree. It contains an array of keys and pointers to child nodes. The is_leaf flag indicates whether the node is a leaf or an internal node.
Implementation of B-Tree in C
The B-tree is a self-balancing ordered structured data that stores data in a set of pages and also allows efficient searching, insertion, and deletion operations. It has its origin in a generic form of binary search trees developed by Rudolf Bayer and Edward M. McCreight in 1972. It is capable of processing large datasets efficiently. Among database systems and file systems, B-trees are quite often employed. This is so because they have a well-balanced structure, which allows for high speed performance, and they can handle a great number of elements.