> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.snomed.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.snomed.org/snomed-international-documents/snomed-ct-glossary/i/inactive-description.md).

# inactive description

## inactive description

A description that is no longer intended for current use.

#### Notes

* Release files contain *active* and inactive descriptions to provide a historical record of the content of the terminology at different points in time.
* A description is *inactive* when the most recent row with the *description*.*id* in the full release file has the value *description*.*active* = 0 (zero). The most recent row for a description is determined based on the *description*.*effectiveTime* value.
* Terms derived from *inactive descriptions* may still be present in past records but should no longer be returned by searches or user interface tools used to enter information into current records.

##

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