Index

1) Database programs

As applied to database programs an index is a pointer to specific data in the database. The index file of pointers is faster to search then the database itself so indexes speed up data access. Sometimes an index will become disassociated with the data it's supposed to index and so the index will have to be regenerated as using a corrupt index will result in queries that give incorrect information, if they give any information at all.

2) Word Processing programs

As in a book, a word processing index relates defined terms to the page in the document where those terms appear. Indexed terms are usually marked somehow in the text and then the program takes care of dynamically generating the index as text is added, deleted, or moved throughout the document.

3) Web

Often the home page on any given Website is given the name INDEX.HTML (or INDEX.HTM, INDEX.PHP, etc.). Since the home page on a site is the default entry point for the site and Web sites are supposed to be designed for browsing in the site, the name "index" is given to the home page as it should be the main index to the contents of any given site.

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