Suffix tries vs dynamic programming for string algorithms

Question

It seems that many difficult string algorithms can be solved both using suffix tries(trees) and Dynamic Programming.
But I am not sure which approach is best to use and when.
Additionally which approach is better to master on the specific area of algorithms and have it in your arsenal in the area of job interviews? I assume it would be the one that would be used more frequently by a programmer in any task or something like that?
This is more of which algorithmic technique is more useful to master as most frequent to use in your job than simply comparing asymptotic notations

Answer 1

Think of a problem requiring the Lexicographically nth substring of a given string : A suffix array is just what you need...and it is easy to learn the bare essentials for solving most problems involving suffix arrays..
On the other hand DP is an algorithmic technique..MASTER IT and you will be able to solve a HUGE number of problems..not only strings.
For an interview though i will take DP anyday...for interviewers, a DP problem lets them make it knotty that is almost impossible to solve without DP (within given constraints) but the solution would mean that you give them a basic recursion and how DP helps you solve it.If it were a suffix-array-only-problem that would mean that they are assessing you over a single data structure( easy once learned) rather than an more general technique which requires mastery.

PS : I had put off learning DP until recently when i got fed up trying to solve problems (that require DP ) using any advanced data structures and would invariably fail ( Case in point : UVA 1394 -- simple problem now that i know how to solve it using DP but instead went on to study segment trees and achieved a O(nlgn) whereas DP gave me O(n). So final advice : if one hasn't studied DP drop everything else and go for it.

Answer 2

honestly, for job interview, no suffix tree is needed. that's too difficult and beyond the scope. however, DP is widely used in interviews for some famous companies like google and facebook.

suffix tree has limitation for solving problems compared with DP. usually it is used to solve string related problems. but DP can solve many different areas.