C++ Coding Standards: 101 Rules, Guidelines, and Best Practices

7. Know when and how to code for scalability

Summary

Beware of explosive data growth: Without optimizing prematurely, keep an eye on asymptotic complexity. Algorithms that work on user data should take a predictable, and preferably no worse than linear, time with the amount of data processed. When optimization is provably necessary and important, and especially if it’s because data volumes are growing, focus on improving big-Oh complexity rather than on micro-optimizations like saving that one extra addition.

Discussion

This Item illustrates one significant balance point between Items 8 and 9, “don’t optimize prematurely” and “don’t pessimize prematurely.” That makes this a tough Item to write, lest it be misconstrued as “premature optimization.” ...