What I've been describing as the format and form of data encapsulates several concepts. Most superficially, the format of the data relates to the specific data types (for example, integers, continuous numbers/floats, text, and discrete categories) of both the input and output of the application. The form of the data encapsulates the relationships between the data structures and the overall shape of the problem or solution space. These factors can help you select the appropriate algorithm even when the task at hand has given you several choices for an algorithm.
When dealing with text (the format), for instance, you must consider how the text is treated in terms of its relationship to the problem space and ...
