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55 lines
2.4 KiB
Plaintext
55 lines
2.4 KiB
Plaintext
---
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title: "Queries"
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sidebarTitle: "Query"
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description: "Choose how to query your data and read the results."
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icon: magnifying-glass
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keywords: ["query", "search", "SQL", "async", "streaming", "results"]
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---
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## What is a query? {#queries}
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A query selects data from your tables. You can filter rows, choose columns,
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search for similar content or combine those operations. For example, a video
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application might find clips similar to a sample and return only those recorded
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in the last month.
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## How can you query? {#searches}
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| Interface | When to use it |
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| --- | --- |
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| **SDK query builders** | Build vector, full-text and hybrid searches, apply filters and choose the fields to return. Available in OSS and Enterprise. |
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| **Enterprise SQL** | Write SQL queries for filtering, aggregation, joins and other data curation tasks. Connect through Python or a Flight SQL client. |
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Both interfaces work with LanceDB tables. Choose the one that supports your
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operation and fits your application. See [SQL](/basics/sql) for connection
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instructions and SQL search support, and [Search](/search) for the query builders.
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## How do results arrive? {#results}
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- **Collect the results** when you want a list, Arrow table or DataFrame that
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fits in memory. Use a result limit and select only the columns you need.
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- **Read batches** when you want to process a large result incrementally.
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Streaming avoids collecting the entire result in application memory, although
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some query operations still need to do substantial work before producing rows.
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<span id="async-client" />
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An async client lets your application do other work while a request is waiting.
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That is separate from whether you collect results or read them in batches.
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Python offers synchronous and asynchronous clients; TypeScript uses async APIs.
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Check the SDK reference for the methods available in your client.
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<span id="jobs" />
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Enterprise SQL can also return a query handle for inspecting execution and
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requesting cancellation. A [job](/basics/jobs) tracks an operation such as an
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index build. Use the result API for the operation you submitted.
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## Learn more {#next}
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- [Quickstart](/quickstart): run a complete create, insert and search example.
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- [Search](/search): choose vector, full-text or hybrid retrieval.
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- [Filtering](/search/filtering): narrow results with predicates.
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- [SQL](/basics/sql): connect a client and run SQL queries.
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- [SDKs](/basics/sdk): choose a language and find its API reference.
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