Page "Database" Paragraph 95

An inverted file or inverted index of a first file, by a field in this file ( the inversion field ), is a second file in which this field is the key.

A record in the second file includes a key and pointers to records in the first file where the inversion field has the value of the key.

This is also the logical structure of contemporary database indexes.

The related Inverted file data model utilizes inverted files of primary database files to efficiently directly access needed records in these files.