# Index Table

[Generating the index table →](https://documentation.ajaxsearchpro.com/index-table/generating-the-index-table)

## Index Table

![](http://i.imgur.com/yOP8noZ.png)

Plugin version 4.5. introduces index table search engine. Index table is used to make the database queries faster and lighter. The index table must be generated before use.

{% embed url="<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgjcYkx7jtk>" %}

{% embed url="<https://youtu.be/XQmrTlvQcTk>" %}

#### Subchapters - please follow in order

* [Generating the index table](https://documentation.ajaxsearchpro.com/index-table/generating-the-index-table)
* [Enabling index table engine](https://documentation.ajaxsearchpro.com/index-table/enabling-index-table-engine)
* [Index table FAQ](https://documentation.ajaxsearchpro.com/index-table/index-table-faq)

### Pros

* Much **faster lookup** in the database
* **Less database-heavy** operations - every keyword operation uses the table indexes, therefore no full table lookup, nor temporary tables are needed.
* CAN index **shortcode** contents!
* Indexes selected [PODs](https://wordpress.org/plugins/pods/) custom fields contents, that connect to a **custom table**
* Good for big databases
* Better relevancy calculation

### Cons

* **Can't search for exact matches** - the index table consists of separated keywords with relational and relevancy data. There is no way of determining the sorrounding keywords, therefore exact matching is not possible.
* Can't search word inner parts, only beginnings and endings
  * for example "rat" NOT match "ka**rat**e"
  * but "kar" will match "**kar**ate"
  * and "rate" will match "ka**rate**"
* Has to be configured before use.
* Only one index configuration for every search instance

### Should I use the index table engine?

Short answer, yes, you should. You definitely should if you:

* Want to search shortcode content
* Want to search tags, categories or any terms related to posts
* Custom fields content
* Have a big database of posts

### Which type of content can be indexed?

You can index posts, pages and any custom post type. (products, forums, topics, etc..)