Based on the bestselling File Structures, Second Edition, this book takes an object-oriented approach to the study of file structures. It allows students and professionals to acquire the fundamental tools needed to design intelligent, cost-effective, and appropriate solutions to file structure problems. The book begins by presenting the software and hardware characteristics that combine to make file structure design important to application development. It continues with a thorough treatment of the tools that support effective use of files for storing and retrieving information. This book teaches design by putting the hands-on work of constructing and running programs at the center of the learning process. By following the many programming examples included in the book and in the exercise sets, readers will gain a significant understanding of object-oriented techniques and will see how C++ can be an effective software development tool.