What are Hash Tables? | Domino Data Lab (2024)

What are Hash Tables?

Hash tables are a type of data structure in which the address/ index value of the data element is generated from a hash function. This enables very fast data access as the index value behaves as a key for the data value.

In other words, hash tables store key-value pairs but the key is generated through a hashing function. So the search and insertion function of a data element becomes much faster as the key values themselves become the index of the array which stores the data. During lookup, the key is hashed and the resulting hash indicates where the corresponding value is stored.

Hash Table Architectural Overview

What are Hash Tables? | Domino Data Lab (1)

The idea of hashing is to distribute the entries (key/value pairs) across an array of buckets. Given a key, the algorithm computes an index that suggests where the entry can be found:

index = f(key, array_size)

Often this is done in two steps:

hash = hashfunc(key)

index = hash % array_size

In a well-dimensioned hash table, the average cost (number of instructions) for each lookup is independent of the number of elements stored in the table. Many hash table designs also allow arbitrary insertions and deletions of key-value pairs, at constant average cost per operation.

In many situations, hash tables turn out to be more efficient than search trees or any other table lookup structure. For this reason they are widely used in many kinds of computer software, particularly for associative arrays, database indexing, caches, and sets.

Hash Tables in Data Science

Hash tables allow a data scientist to take an arbitrary value, such as a string, a complex object or a data frame, and use it as a lookup to find another value. Common uses for hash-table data structures in the data cleaning and preparation phase include feature engineering (e.g., keeping a count of how many times you’ve seen an individual value in a stream), normalization, or even creating simple histograms.

In Python, the Dictionary data types represent the implementation of hash tables. The Keys in the dictionary are hashable–they are generated by a hash function which generates a unique result for each unique value supplied to the hash function. Also, the order of data elements in a dictionary is not fixed.

In R, if you need to store key value pairs, and your keys are always going to be valid R symbols, the built-in new.env(hash=TRUE) is the best approach.

Additional Resources

What are Hash Tables? | Domino Data Lab (2024)

FAQs

What is hash table in data? ›

A hash table is a type of data structure in which information is stored in an easy-to-retrieve and efficient manner. In the key-value method, keys are assigned random indexes where their values are stored in an array. The index is the information of where exactly in the array the value is stored.

What is a hash table Quizlet? ›

Hash Table. A data structure that implements the map behavior by using a mathematical function (hash function) to associate keys with location in a table where that key and its associated value are stored.

Which of the following best describes a hash table? ›

A hash table is made up of two parts: an array (the actual table where the data to be searched is stored) and a mapping function, known as a hash function. The hash function is a mapping from the input space to the integer space that defines the indices of the array.

What is the hashing function answer? ›

Definition: A hash function is a function that takes a set of inputs of any arbitrary size and fits them into a table or other data structure that contains fixed-size elements.

What does hashing mean in data? ›

Hashing is a one-way mathematical function that turns data into a string of nondescript text that cannot be reversed or decoded. In the context of cybersecurity, hashing is a way to keep sensitive information and data — including passwords, messages, and documents — secure.

What is hash in dataset? ›

Hashing is commonly used to ensure data integrity. By generating a hash value for an amount of data, such as a file or message, a user can later compare it with the hash value of the received data to verify if any changes or corruption occurred during transmission.

What is a hash table for dummies? ›

The idea of hashing is to distribute entries (key/value pairs) uniformly across an array. Each element is assigned a key (converted key). By using that key you can access the element in O(1) time. Using the key, the algorithm (hash function) computes an index that suggests where an entry can be found or inserted.

What is a hash table a data set that contains _____? ›

What is Hash Table? A Hash table is defined as a data structure used to insert, look up, and remove key-value pairs quickly. It operates on the hashing concept, where each key is translated by a hash function into a distinct index in an array.

Why is it called a hash table? ›

In French, a hash table is called "table de hachage", the related verb "hacher" means to chop/to mince (food mostly). The verb to hash has the same meaning in English. So as other have pointed out it is called hash, because you chop your input that you put in pieces in different places (your table entries).

What is an example of hashing? ›

Hashing is designed to solve the problem of needing to efficiently find or store an item in a collection. For example, if we have a list of 10,000 words of English and we want to check if a given word is in the list, it would be inefficient to successively compare the word with all 10,000 items until we find a match.

What is the advantage of a hash table as a data structure? ›

Hash tables are more efficient than search trees or other data structures. Hash provides constant time for searching, insertion and deletion operations on average. Hash tables are space-efficient. Most Hash table implementation can automatically resize itself.

What is the key type of a hash table? ›

The keys and value in hashtables are also . NET objects. They're most often strings or integers, but they can have any object type. You can also create nested hashtables, in which the value of a key is another hashtable.

Which properties are true for hash tables? ›

Several properties are typically associated with hash tables:
  • Fast access: Hash tables offer fast access to elements. ...
  • Key-value pairs: Hash tables store data in key-value pairs. ...
  • Hashing function: A hash table utilizes a hashing function to transform keys into index values within the underlying array structure.
May 8, 2023

What are hash tables in data structure? ›

A Hash table is a data structure that stores some information, and the information has basically two main components, i.e., key and value. The hash table can be implemented with the help of an associative array. The efficiency of mapping depends upon the efficiency of the hash function used for mapping.

How do you retrieve a value stored in a hash table? ›

To retrieve the value associated with a key, apply the hash function to the key to determine the index. If the index contains a value, compare the stored key with the given key to ensure a match. If the keys match, return the corresponding value.

What is hash in SQL table? ›

A hash is a number that is generated by reading the contents of a document or message. Different messages should generate different hash values, but the same message causes the algorithm to generate the same hash value. The HashBytes function in SQL Server.

What is the difference between hash table and list? ›

A list is typically ordered whereas a hashtable is not. So when you add elements into a list and expect the ordering to remain consistent then an array retains the ordering while a hashtable gives no guarantee as to the order you get back out.

What is a hash data type? ›

The HASHTYPE data type can be used to store hash values such as MD5 hashes or Universally Unique Identifiers (UUID). There is no special literal for the HASHTYPE data type. Values are defined as strings and must be delimited with single quotes.

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