mirror of
https://github.com/lancedb/lancedb.git
synced 2026-10-26 13:36:13 +00:00
Jack Ye
dcfef7c5ab
SQL blob descriptors need pinned source identity to reopen a value after
the query finishes. Adds `open_blob_file(descriptor)` and
`open_blob_files(descriptors)` so Python can read the original blob
incrementally without materializing it in the SQL result.
### Python experience
```python
rows = db.execute_query("""
SELECT f.timestamp, blob_descriptor(v.video) AS video
FROM videos v JOIN frames f ON v.id = f.video_id
""").read_all()
videos = db.open_table("videos")
for row in rows.to_pylist():
if row["video"] is not None:
with videos.open_blob_file(row["video"]) as video:
frame = extract_frame(video, row["timestamp"])
```
The singular API accepts the descriptor dictionary or an Arrow struct
scalar directly and returns a seekable `BlobFile`.
`videos.open_blob_files(rows["video"])` accepts an Arrow array/chunked
array or another iterable, opens handles as iteration advances, and
preserves order, duplicates, and nulls as `None`. Async tables provide
`await videos.open_blob_file(...)` and `async for video in
videos.open_blob_files(...)`.
The iterable API can be used directly with the Arrow result column. Zip
it with the rows to keep each frame timestamp:
```python
for row, video in zip(rows.to_pylist(), videos.open_blob_files(rows["video"])):
if video is not None:
with video:
frame = extract_frame(video, row["timestamp"])
```
Each iteration opens one handle. Null descriptors yield `None`; handles
preserve input order and duplicates, and the `with` block closes each
non-null file.
For an async table:
```python
async for video in async_videos.open_blob_files(rows["video"]):
if video is not None:
with video:
payload = await video.aread()
```
### Execution
The descriptor retains the canonical `kind`, `position`, `size`,
`blob_id`, and `blob_uri` fields and carries a `source` struct with its
dataset URI, version, commit timestamp, branch, column, row reference,
and whether that reference is a physical address. Native opening
resolves that exact snapshot without changing the table handle's
checkout and rejects a descriptor belonging to another table. Remote
handles send authenticated byte-range requests with the captured
version/branch, commit timestamp, and source URI, so an old physical
address is never interpreted against the latest table.
Known-size remote descriptors open without a payload request. External
blobs with an unspecified size use a metadata-only HEAD request. Payload
bytes load only when the file is read; full reads still allocate the
full value. Existing row-ID-based `fetch_blob_files` remains available
when a descriptor is not already present.
Coverage includes native snapshot preservation after overwrite, both row
IDs and addresses, dictionary/Arrow inputs, null/empty values, reordered
and duplicate descriptors, lazy iterable behavior, async iteration, and
remote range pinning for all six storage kinds.
Descriptor reads isolate their pinned snapshot from the live table
handle's freshness state. Both native and remote reads verify the source
commit timestamp to reject a replaced snapshot after table recreation.
153 lines
6.3 KiB
Markdown
153 lines
6.3 KiB
Markdown
# LanceDB Python SDK
|
|
|
|
A Python library for [LanceDB](https://github.com/lancedb/lancedb).
|
|
|
|
## Installation
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
pip install lancedb
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
If no wheel is published for your platform, pip builds `lancedb` from the source distribution. That build needs a [Rust toolchain](https://rustup.rs/) and [protoc](https://grpc.io/docs/protoc-installation/) (the Protocol Buffers compiler) on your `PATH`, and can take a while.
|
|
|
|
### Pre-Haswell x86_64 hosts: `lancedb-compat`
|
|
|
|
The default `lancedb` wheel targets `x86-64-haswell` (AVX2 + FMA + F16C) for full performance on modern hardware. Pre-Haswell hosts — Intel Sandy Bridge / Ivy Bridge / Westmere; AMD Bulldozer / Piledriver / Steamroller — don't have AVX2 and crash with `Illegal instruction` at `import lancedb`.
|
|
|
|
For those hosts, install the `lancedb-compat` package instead:
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
pip install lancedb-compat
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
Same Python API (`import lancedb` works as usual). The compat wheel is compiled at the `x86-64-v2` baseline (Nehalem-class) and uses runtime SIMD dispatch in the embedded lance crate to pick the right kernel tier (scalar / AVX / AVX+FMA / AVX2+FMA / AVX-512) at load time, so it still goes fast on modern hardware while running cleanly on the pre-Haswell silicon. Use `lance.simd_info()` from Python to verify which tier was selected.
|
|
|
|
`lancedb` and `lancedb-compat` install to the same `lancedb/` namespace and conflict at install time. Pick one. To switch, `pip uninstall lancedb` first, then `pip install lancedb-compat` (or vice-versa).
|
|
|
|
If you need a custom baseline (or `lancedb-compat` isn't yet published for your platform), build from source with the override:
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
RUSTFLAGS="-C target-cpu=x86-64-v2" maturin build --release
|
|
pip install ./target/wheels/lancedb-*.whl
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
### Preview Releases
|
|
|
|
Stable releases are created about every 2 weeks. For the latest features and bug fixes, you can install the preview release. These releases receive the same level of testing as stable releases, but are not guaranteed to be available for more than 6 months after they are released. Once your application is stable, we recommend switching to stable releases.
|
|
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
pip install --pre --extra-index-url https://pypi.fury.io/lancedb/ lancedb
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
If you also need the optional `lance` Python API, install the `pylance` extra
|
|
and include the Lance preview index:
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
pip install --pre \
|
|
--extra-index-url https://pypi.fury.io/lancedb/ \
|
|
--extra-index-url https://pypi.fury.io/lance-format/ \
|
|
"lancedb[pylance]"
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
With uv, also select the best matching version across the indexes:
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
uv pip install --prerelease allow \
|
|
--index https://pypi.fury.io/lancedb/ \
|
|
--index https://pypi.fury.io/lance-format/ \
|
|
--index-strategy unsafe-best-match \
|
|
"lancedb[pylance]"
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
The LanceDB preview index contains old `pylance` releases; current Lance previews
|
|
are published to the `lance-format` index. By default, uv only considers versions
|
|
from the first index containing a package, which can select an old `pylance` or
|
|
backtrack to an older LanceDB release. `unsafe-best-match` searches all configured
|
|
indexes, like pip; use it only with indexes you trust. Install the extra rather
|
|
than an unconstrained `pylance` so LanceDB's minimum supported version is enforced.
|
|
|
|
### Threading in CPU-limited containers
|
|
|
|
LanceDB uses separate pools for compute work and storage I/O. On a container with
|
|
two visible CPUs, current releases intentionally use one compute worker by default;
|
|
no manual configuration is needed. If every query logs an I/O core reservation
|
|
warning on a two-CPU container, upgrade from LanceDB 0.21.1 or earlier.
|
|
|
|
The two commonly tuned environment variables control different resources:
|
|
|
|
- `LANCE_CPU_THREADS` overrides the number of compute workers. One worker is the
|
|
appropriate setting for a two-CPU container when an explicit override is needed.
|
|
- `LANCE_IO_THREADS` controls concurrent storage operations, not reserved CPU
|
|
cores. Its default can be greater than the number of CPUs because I/O workers
|
|
spend much of their time waiting for storage.
|
|
|
|
Keep the defaults unless measurements show that the workload benefits from an
|
|
override. See the [Lance threading model](https://lance.org/guide/performance/#threading-model)
|
|
for the current defaults and tuning guidance.
|
|
|
|
## Usage
|
|
|
|
### Basic Example
|
|
|
|
```python
|
|
import lancedb
|
|
db = lancedb.connect('<PATH_TO_LANCEDB_DATASET>')
|
|
table = db.open_table('my_table')
|
|
results = table.search([0.1, 0.3]).limit(20).to_list()
|
|
print(results)
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
### Development
|
|
|
|
See [CONTRIBUTING.md](./CONTRIBUTING.md) for information on how to contribute to LanceDB.
|
|
|
|
### Opening SQL blob descriptors
|
|
|
|
A SQL `blob_descriptor(video)` result keeps the Blob V2 storage metadata and a
|
|
`source` struct containing its table URI, version, commit timestamp, branch,
|
|
column and row identity. This example uses a remote SQL connection whose SQL
|
|
service produces those source-bearing descriptors. Open the reference on the
|
|
source table to read incrementally:
|
|
|
|
```python
|
|
rows = db.execute_query("""
|
|
SELECT f.timestamp, blob_descriptor(v.video) AS video
|
|
FROM videos v JOIN frames f ON v.id = f.video_id
|
|
""").read_all()
|
|
|
|
videos = db.open_table("videos")
|
|
for row in rows.to_pylist():
|
|
if row["video"] is not None:
|
|
with videos.open_blob_file(row["video"]) as video:
|
|
frame = extract_frame(video, row["timestamp"])
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
`open_blob_file` accepts the dictionary or an Arrow struct scalar directly. It
|
|
keeps the query's version and branch without changing the table handle's checkout.
|
|
Payload bytes load on reads. An external blob with an unspecified size may need a
|
|
metadata-only HEAD request to open.
|
|
|
|
`videos.open_blob_files(rows["video"])` returns an iterator over the same handles,
|
|
preserving order, duplicates and nulls (`None`). It accepts Arrow arrays/chunked
|
|
arrays or another iterable and opens each handle as iteration advances. Close each
|
|
non-null handle after use. Async tables offer `await videos.open_blob_file(...)`
|
|
and `async for video in videos.open_blob_files(...)`.
|
|
|
|
```python
|
|
for video in videos.open_blob_files(rows["video"]):
|
|
if video is not None:
|
|
with video:
|
|
header = video.read(4096)
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
To extract a frame while retaining each row's timestamp, iterate over the
|
|
handles and rows together:
|
|
|
|
```python
|
|
for row, video in zip(rows.to_pylist(), videos.open_blob_files(rows["video"])):
|
|
if video is not None:
|
|
with video:
|
|
frame = extract_frame(video, row["timestamp"])
|
|
```
|