Array-access analysis: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:10, 22 March 2006

Revision as of 07:11, 13 June 2006

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In [[computer science]], '''Array access analysis''' is a [[compiler analysis]] used to decide the read and write access patterns to elements or portions of arrays.

The major data type manipulated in scientific programs is the array. The define/use analysis on a whole array is insufficent for aggressive [[compiler optimization]]s such as [[auto parallelization]] and [[array privatization]]. Array access analyisanalysis aims to obtain the knowledge of which portions or even which elements of the array are accessed by a given code segment ([[basic block]], [[loop]], or even at the [[procedure]] level).

Array access analysis can be largely categorized into exact (or reference-list-based) and summary methods for different tradeoffs of accuracy and complexity. Exact methods are precise but very costly in terms of computation and space storage, while summary methods are approximate but can be computed quickly and economically.