Horizon uses indexes to quickly retrieve records in your database that match your search results. An index in the Horizon database works conceptually like an index at the end of a book—it contains a word or phrase from the record you are searching for and a link to that record. Indexes make searching for records in your database much faster.
Horizon uses these indexes to build search options in Horizon staff searching. Search options display in the main Search window, and define what type of information you are searching for. (For example, Horizon has a “Title Keyword” search option to search for keywords in titles on the database.)
These are specific types of indexes that are represented as search options:
In addition, you can set up a single search option based on multiple keyword indexes. This lets you search for MARC information that is in either authority-controlled or non-authority controlled subfields. When multiple records match the search term, Horizon displays a list of matches. This type of list is called a “closed” list.
This is how Horizon uses indexes and search options when a user does a search in staff searching: The user chooses a search option (such as “Title Browse”) and enters search terms. From the search option, Horizon knows which index to search. This is because part of the search option includes an index definition. The index definition includes the name of the index table where the database stores the indexed data. This database table, powered by a piece of software called an index engine, finds and returns matching bib or authority records for the search and stores that data in the index table. Also from the search option, Horizon knows how the search results display in staff searching. This is because part of the search option definition is also a view definition to control what the search results window looks like. All these processes work together as your staff search for and display search results.
This process is illustrated in these two examples:
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