This document provides an introduction to data structures. It defines data structures as a way of organizing and storing data in a computer so it can be used efficiently. There are two main types: primitive data structures like integers and characters that are directly operated on by the CPU, and non-primitive structures like arrays and linked lists that are more complex. Key aspects of data structures covered include operations, properties, performance analysis using time and space complexity, and examples of linear structures like arrays and non-linear structures like trees. Common algorithms are analyzed based on their asymptotic worst-case running times.