docs: adopt Embedded/Distributed terminology across docs and SDKs (#4713)

## Summary

Adopts the product terminology guide across the docs site pages, SDK
docstrings and error messages. "LanceDB OSS" and local mode become
**LanceDB Embedded**. "Remote" as the execution model becomes **LanceDB
Distributed**, which LanceDB Enterprise provides. Where free vs paid is
the point, pages contrast "LanceDB Embedded (open source)" with "LanceDB
Enterprise". This is a first trial of the Embedded name, so reviewers
can judge it in context.

- **Embedded vs Distributed** for where execution runs (`optimize()`,
consistency, branching, maintenance). Main pages define it once:
"LanceDB Enterprise runs LanceDB Distributed: …"
- **LanceDB Cloud** is kept only for legacy-Cloud specifics (`db://`
region, the brute-force KNN limit) and marked legacy. "Cloud and
Enterprise" becomes Enterprise or Distributed.
- **Plan executor** becomes "executor" or the fleet name.
- **Error messages** change, e.g. `optimize is not supported for remote
tables.` → `... in LanceDB Distributed.` Tests that match on them are
updated.
- **Vale rules** (`EmbeddedName`, `OSSProduct`, `RemoteExecution`,
`DistributedEnterprise`, `LegacyCloud`, `InternalNames`) enforce the
terms in prose.

Unchanged: identifiers (`availability.oss`, the `remote` module and
feature, `RemoteTable`, `db://`), heading anchors, internal code
comments, and Geneva.

## Evidence

- Rust lib tests for the changed messages and the Python tests in
`test_remote_db.py`, `test_materialized_views.py` and `test_table.py`
pass locally.
- Not run locally:
- The Node tests: `remote.test.ts` and `table.test.ts` have updated
assertions.
  - Vale.
  - The `experimental_functions`-marked materialized-view tests.
- `docs/src` API reference was hand-edited to match the docstrings
rather than regenerated.

## Merge Risk

**Door:** two-way; prose and message text only.
**Blast Radius:** `docs`, `error-messages`: callers matching on old
error strings would break.

Companion PRs: lancedb/docs (assembler labels, STYLE.md) and sophon
(Enterprise pages).

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

---------

Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
Will Jones
2026-10-28 14:04:41 -07:00
committed by GitHub
co-authored by Claude Opus 5.5
parent b4cbaf2f67
commit 4d7a64712f
148 changed files with 981 additions and 755 deletions
@@ -16,9 +16,9 @@ Declaring it is cheap on any table size, because nothing is evaluated until
[a refresh](/feature-engineering/refresh-column) asks for it.
<Note>
In the 0.41 SDK release, local computed-column declaration and refresh require a
In the 0.41 SDK release, computed-column declaration and refresh in LanceDB Embedded require a
source build with the `experimental-functions` Cargo feature. Published Python
and TypeScript packages leave it disabled. Remote Cloud and Enterprise operations
and TypeScript packages leave it disabled. LanceDB Enterprise operations
do not require this feature. Ordinary eager `add_columns` transforms remain available.
</Note>
+3 -3
View File
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ changes incrementally for supported queries; other queries require a full rebuil
See [refresh behavior](/feature-engineering/materialized-views#incremental) for
version-specific details.
Enterprise runs materialization on remote compute. Use the SDK and refresh
Enterprise runs materialization on the Enterprise service. Use the SDK and refresh
options supported by your server version; see
[Enterprise refreshes](/feature-engineering/materialized-views#availability).
@@ -78,8 +78,8 @@ options supported by your server version; see
| | What it produces | Filled by | Available |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Computed column](/feature-engineering/add-computed-column) | a new column on an existing table | a SQL expression | OSS and Enterprise |
| [Materialized view](/feature-engineering/materialized-views) | a new table derived by a query | a refresh | OSS and Enterprise |
| [Computed column](/feature-engineering/add-computed-column) | a new column on an existing table | a SQL expression | Embedded and Enterprise |
| [Materialized view](/feature-engineering/materialized-views) | a new table derived by a query | a refresh | Embedded and Enterprise |
| [Geneva](/geneva) | columns filled by Python | the `geneva` package | <Badge color="red">Enterprise</Badge> |
{/*
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ availability:
oss: available
enterprise: available
summary: >-
Local creation and refresh require a source build with the experimental-functions Cargo feature. Enterprise runs the work on remote compute. See [Enterprise refreshes](#availability) for server compatibility requirements.
Creation and refresh in LanceDB Embedded require a source build with the experimental-functions Cargo feature. Enterprise runs the work on the Enterprise service. See [Enterprise refreshes](#availability) for server compatibility requirements.
---
import {
@@ -21,10 +21,10 @@ filtered or transformed dataset that you can query, index and search repeatedly.
Refresh the view after its source data changes.
<Note>
In the 0.41 SDK release, local materialized-view creation and refresh require a
In the 0.41 SDK release, materialized-view creation and refresh in LanceDB Embedded require a
source build with the `experimental-functions` Cargo feature. Published Python
and TypeScript packages leave it disabled. Opening, reading, listing and dropping
existing views remain available, as do remote Cloud and Enterprise operations.
existing views remain available, as do LanceDB Enterprise operations.
</Note>
<Note>
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ when maintaining an existing pipeline.
<Badge color="red">Enterprise</Badge>
Enterprise runs materialized-view creation and refresh on remote compute.
Enterprise runs materialized-view creation and refresh on the Enterprise service.
For SQL, see [`CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW`](/sql/ddl/materialized-view) and
[`REFRESH MATERIALIZED VIEW`](/sql/dml/refresh#refresh-materialized-view).
@@ -16,9 +16,9 @@ new rows and recompute values whose inputs changed. The example below continues
with the `doubled` column from the computed-column guide.
<Note>
In the 0.41 SDK release, local declaration and refresh require a source build
In the 0.41 SDK release, declaration and refresh in LanceDB Embedded require a source build
with the `experimental-functions` Cargo feature. Published Python and TypeScript
packages leave it disabled. Remote Cloud and Enterprise operations do not require
packages leave it disabled. LanceDB Enterprise operations do not require
this feature; existing computed-column data remains readable in default builds.
</Note>
@@ -82,9 +82,9 @@ table.add_columns(
Both options apply to every computed output declared in that call, including
registered Function outputs. Automatic refresh is enabled by default. When
the interval is omitted, the server determines when to refresh. Local tables
persist only an explicitly configured interval; automatic execution requires a
Cloud or Enterprise server with its separate `column_refresh.enabled` switch
the interval is omitted, the server determines when to refresh. LanceDB Embedded
tables persist only an explicitly configured interval; automatic execution requires a
LanceDB Enterprise deployment with its separate `column_refresh.enabled` switch
turned on. That server switch is disabled in the base configuration.
The interval is a positive minimum delay after the last successful refresh