inverted index
<database, information science> A sequence of (key, pointer) pairs where
each pointer points to a record in a database which contains the key value in
some particular field. The index is sorted on the key values to allow rapid
searching for a particular key value, using e.g. binary search. The index is
"inverted" in the sense that the key value is used to find the record rather
than the other way round. For databases in which the records may be searched
based on more than one field, multiple indices may be created that are sorted on
those keys.
An index may contain gaps to allow for new entries to be added in the correct
sort order without always requiring the following entries to be shifted out of
the way.
(1995-02-08)
Nearby terms:
inverse « Inverse Address Resolution Protocol «
inverse comment convention « inverted index »
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