Make distance metric configurable during search

python/lancedb/query.py

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ class LanceQueryBuilder:
     """
 
     def __init__(self, table: "lancedb.table.LanceTable", query: np.ndarray):
+        self._metric = "l2"
         self._nprobes = 20
         self._refine_factor = None
         self._table = table
@@ -77,6 +78,21 @@ class LanceQueryBuilder:
         self._where = where
         return self
 
+    def metric(self, metric: str) -> LanceQueryBuilder:
+        """Set the distance metric to use.
+
+        Parameters
+        ----------
+        metric: str
+            The distance metric to use. By default "l2" is used.
+
+        Returns
+        -------
+        The LanceQueryBuilder object.
+        """
+        self._metric = metric
+        return self
+
     def nprobes(self, nprobes: int) -> LanceQueryBuilder:
         """Set the number of probes to use.
 
@@ -118,6 +134,7 @@ class LanceQueryBuilder:
                 "column": VECTOR_COLUMN_NAME,
                 "q": self._query,
                 "k": self._limit,
+                "metric": self._metric,
                 "nprobes": self._nprobes,
                 "refine_factor": self._refine_factor,
             },

python/tests/test_query.py

@@ -14,7 +14,9 @@
 import lance
 from lancedb.query import LanceQueryBuilder
 
+import numpy as np
 import pandas as pd
+import pandas.testing as tm
 import pyarrow as pa
 
 import pytest
@@ -60,3 +62,20 @@ def test_query_builder_with_filter(table):
     df = LanceQueryBuilder(table, [0, 0]).where("id = 2").to_df()
     assert df["id"].values[0] == 2
     assert all(df["vector"].values[0] == [3, 4])
+
+
+def test_query_builder_with_metric(table):
+    query = [4, 8]
+    df_default = LanceQueryBuilder(table, query).to_df()
+    df_l2 = LanceQueryBuilder(table, query).metric("l2").to_df()
+    tm.assert_frame_equal(df_default, df_l2)
+
+    df_cosine = LanceQueryBuilder(table, query).metric("cosine").limit(1).to_df()
+    assert df_cosine.score[0] == pytest.approx(
+        cosine_distance(query, df_cosine.vector[0])
+    )
+    assert 0 <= df_cosine.score[0] <= 1
+
+
+def cosine_distance(vec1, vec2):
+    return 1 - np.dot(vec1, vec2) / (np.linalg.norm(vec1) * np.linalg.norm(vec2))