Beginning with LOINC version 2.61, we are providing an artifact called LoincTableCore that is available as a separate download from the LOINC website. The purpose of this core table is to provide essential LOINC content in a format that is more stable over the long-run. The core table contains all of the LOINC terms that are in the complete table (i.e., the same number of rows), but a subset of the fields (i.e., different number of columns). The fields included in the core table are ones that are both crucial for defining each LOINC term and whose structure is not likely to change in the short-term. We are providing this format in order to make it easier for implementers to update to the latest LOINC release without having to make changes to their database structure. However, depending on their use case, some implementers may still need to refer to the complete LOINC table in order to find all of the relevant information.
