secondary index

secondary index

[′sek·ən‚der·ē ′in‚deks] (computer science) An index that provides an alternate method of accessing records or portions of records in a data base or file. Also known as alternate index.

secondary index

An index that is maintained for a data file, but not used to control the current processing order of the file. For example, a secondary index could be maintained for customer name, while the primary index is set up for customer account number. See primary index.