MCPInstall

databricks-vector-search

Databricks Vector Search endpoints and indexes for RAG and semantic search; covers index types, search modes, end-to-end RAG patterns

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Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/databricks/databricks-agent-skills --skill databricks-vector-search
  1. 01

    Install

    Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.

  2. 02

    Describe the task

    Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads databricks-vector-search automatically when relevant.

  3. 03

    Review the result

    The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

Databricks Vector Search

FIRST: Use the parent databricks-core skill for CLI basics, authentication, and profile selection.

Patterns for creating, managing, and querying vector search indexes for RAG and semantic search applications.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

  • Building RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) applications
  • Implementing semantic search or similarity matching
  • Creating vector indexes from Delta tables
  • Choosing between storage-optimized and standard endpoints
  • Querying vector indexes with filters

Overview

Databricks Vector Search provides managed vector similarity search with automatic embedding generation and Delta Lake integration.

ComponentDescription
EndpointCompute resource hosting indexes (Standard or Storage-Optimized)
IndexVector data structure for similarity search
Delta SyncAuto-syncs with source Delta table
Direct AccessManual CRUD operations on vectors

Endpoint Types

TypeLatencyCapacityCostBest For
Standard20-50ms320M vectors (768 dim)HigherReal-time, low-latency
Storage-Optimized300-500ms1B+ vectors (768 dim)7x lowerLarge-scale, cost-sensitive

Index Types

TypeEmbeddingsSyncUse Case
Delta Sync (managed)Databricks computesAuto from DeltaEasiest setup
Delta Sync (self-managed)You provideAuto from DeltaCustom embeddings
Direct AccessYou provideManual CRUDReal-time updates

Quick Start

Create Endpoint

from databricks.sdk import WorkspaceClient

w = WorkspaceClient()

# Create a standard endpoint
endpoint = w.vector_search_endpoints.create_endpoint(
    name="my-vs-endpoint",
    endpoint_type="STANDARD"  # or "STORAGE_OPTIMIZED"
)
# Note: Endpoint creation is asynchronous; check status with get_endpoint()

Create Delta Sync Index (Managed Embeddings)

# Source table must have: primary key column + text column
index = w.vector_search_indexes.create_index(
    name="catalog.schema.my_index",
    endpoint_name="my-vs-endpoint",
    primary_key="id",
    index_type="DELTA_SYNC",
    delta_sync_index_spec={
        "source_table": "catalog.schema.documents",
        "embedding_source_columns": [
            {
                "name": "content",  # Text column to embed
                "embedding_model_endpoint_name": "databricks-gte-large-en"
            }
        ],
        "pipeline_type": "TRIGGERED"  # or "CONTINUOUS"
    }
)

Query Index

results = w.vector_search_indexes.query_index(
    index_name="catalog.schema.my_index",
    columns=["id", "content", "metadata"],
    query_text="What is machine learning?",
    num_results=5
)

for doc in results.result.data_array:
    score = doc[-1]  # Similarity score is last column
    print(f"Score: {score}, Content: {doc[1][:100]}...")

Common Patterns

Create Storage-Optimized Endpoint

# For large-scale, cost-effective deployments
endpoint = w.vector_search_endpoints.create_endpoint(
    name="my-storage-endpoint",
    endpoint_type="STORAGE_OPTIMIZED"
)

Delta Sync with Self-Managed Embeddings

# Source table must have: primary key + embedding vector column
index = w.vector_search_indexes.create_index(
    name="catalog.schema.my_index",
    endpoint_name="my-vs-endpoint",
    primary_key="id",
    index_type="DELTA_SYNC",
    delta_sync_index_spec={
        "source_table": "catalog.schema.documents",
        "embedding_vector_columns": [
            {
                "name": "embedding",  # Pre-computed embedding column
                "embedding_dimension": 768
            }
        ],
        "pipeline_type": "TRIGGERED"
    }
)

Direct Access Index

import json

# Create index for manual CRUD
index = w.vector_search_indexes.create_index(
    name="catalog.schema.direct_index",
    endpoint_name="my-vs-endpoint",
    primary_key="id",
    index_type="DIRECT_ACCESS",
    direct_access_index_spec={
        "embedding_vector_columns": [
            {"name": "embedding", "embedding_dimension": 768}
        ],
        "schema_json": json.dumps({
            "id": "string",
            "text": "string",
            "embedding": "array<float>",
            "metadata": "string"
        })
    }
)

# Upsert data
w.vector_search_indexes.upsert_data_vector_index(
    index_name="catalog.schema.direct_index",
    inputs_json=json.dumps([
        {"id": "1", "text": "Hello", "embedding": [0.1, 0.2, ...], "metadata": "doc1"},
        {"id": "2", "text": "World", "embedding": [0.3, 0.4, ...], "metadata": "doc2"},
    ])
)

# Delete data
w.vector_search_indexes.delete_data_vector_index(
    index_name="catalog.schema.direct_index",
    primary_keys=["1", "2"]
)

Query with Embedding Vector

# When you have pre-computed query embedding
results = w.vector_search_indexes.query_index(
    index_name="catalog.schema.my_index",
    columns=["id", "text"],
    query_vector=[0.1, 0.2, 0.3, ...],  # Your 768-dim vector
    num_results=10
)

Hybrid Search (Semantic + Keyword)

Hybrid search combines vector similarity (ANN) with BM25 keyword scoring. Use it when queries contain exact terms that must match — SKUs, error codes, proper nouns, or technical terminology — where pure semantic search might miss keyword-specific results. See references/search-modes.md for detailed guidance on choosing between ANN and hybrid search.

# Combines vector similarity with keyword matching
results = w.vector_search_indexes.query_index(
    index_name="catalog.schema.my_index",
    columns=["id", "content"],
    query_text="SPARK-12345 executor memory error",
    query_type="HYBRID",
    num_results=10
)

Filtering

Standard Endpoint Filters (Dictionary)

# filters_json uses dictionary format
results = w.vector_search_indexes.query_index(
    index_name="catalog.schema.my_index",
    columns=["id", "content"],
    query_text="machine learning",
    num_results=10,
    filters_json='{"category": "ai", "status": ["active", "pending"]}'
)

Storage-Optimized Filters (SQL-like)

Storage-Optimized endpoints use SQL-like filter syntax via the databricks-vectorsearch package's filters parameter (accepts a string):

from databricks.vector_search.client import VectorSearchClient

vsc = VectorSearchClient()
index = vsc.get_index(endpoint_name="my-storage-endpoint", index_name="catalog.schema.my_index")

# SQL-like filter syntax for storage-optimized endpoints
results = index.similarity_search(
    query_text="machine learning",
    columns=["id", "content"],
    num_results=10,
    filters="category = 'ai' AND status IN ('active', 'pending')"
)

# More filter examples
# filters="price > 100 AND price < 500"
# filters="department LIKE 'eng%'"
# filters="created_at >= '2024-01-01'"

Trigger Index Sync

# For TRIGGERED pipeline type, manually sync
w.vector_search_indexes.sync_index(
    index_name="catalog.schema.my_index"
)

Scan All Index Entries

# Retrieve all vectors (for debugging/export)
scan_result = w.vector_search_indexes.scan_index(
    index_name="catalog.schema.my_index",
    num_results=100
)

Reference Files

TopicFileDescription
Index Typesreferences/index-types.mdDetailed comparison of Delta Sync (managed/self-managed) vs Direct Access
End-to-End RAGreferences/end-to-end-rag.mdComplete walkthrough: source table → endpoint → index → query → agent integration
Search Modesreferences/search-modes.mdWhen to use semantic (ANN) vs hybrid search, decision guide
Operationsreferences/troubleshooting-and-operations.mdMonitoring, cost optimization, capacity planning, migration

CLI Quick Reference

# List endpoints
databricks vector-search-endpoints list-endpoints

# Create endpoint (positional args: NAME ENDPOINT_TYPE)
databricks vector-search-endpoints create-endpoint my-endpoint STANDARD

# List indexes on endpoint (positional arg: ENDPOINT_NAME)
databricks vector-search-indexes list-indexes my-endpoint

# Get index status (positional arg: INDEX_NAME)
databricks vector-search-indexes get-index catalog.schema.my_index

# Sync index (positional arg: INDEX_NAME)
databricks vector-search-indexes sync-index catalog.schema.my_index

# Delete index (positional arg: INDEX_NAME)
databricks vector-search-indexes delete-index catalog.schema.my_index

Common Issues

IssueSolution
Index sync slowUse Storage-Optimized endpoints (20x faster indexing)
Query latency highUse Standard endpoint for <100ms latency
filters_json not workingStorage-Optimized uses SQL-like string filters via databricks-vectorsearch package's filters parameter
Embedding dimension mismatchEnsure query and index dimensions match
Index not updatingCheck pipeline_type; use sync_index() for TRIGGERED
Out of capacityUpgrade to Storage-Optimized (1B+ vectors)
query_vector truncatedLarge vectors (e.g. 1024-dim) can be truncated when serialized as JSON. Use query_text instead (for managed embedding indexes), or use the Databricks SDK to pass raw vectors

Embedding Models

Databricks provides built-in embedding models:

ModelDimensionsContext WindowUse Case
databricks-gte-large-en10248192 tokensEnglish text, high quality
databricks-bge-large-en1024512 tokensEnglish text, general purpose
# Use with managed embeddings
embedding_source_columns=[
    {
        "name": "content",
        "embedding_model_endpoint_name": "databricks-gte-large-en"
    }
]

Notes

  • Storage-Optimized is newer — better for most use cases unless you need <100ms latency
  • Delta Sync recommended — easier than Direct Access for most scenarios
  • Hybrid search — available for both Delta Sync and Direct Access indexes
  • columns_to_sync matters — only synced columns are available in query results; include all columns you need
  • Filter syntax differs by endpoint — Standard uses dict-format filters, Storage-Optimized uses SQL-like string filters. Use the databricks-vectorsearch package's filters parameter which accepts both formats
  • Management vs runtime — CLI and SDK handle lifecycle management; for agent tool-calling at runtime, use VectorSearchRetrieverTool

Related Skills

  • databricks-model-serving - Deploy agents that use VectorSearchRetrieverTool
  • databricks-agent-bricks - Knowledge Assistants use RAG over indexed documents
  • databricks-unstructured-pdf-generation - Generate documents to index in Vector Search
  • databricks-unity-catalog - Manage the catalogs and tables that back Delta Sync indexes
  • databricks-pipelines - Build Delta tables used as Vector Search sources

FAQ

What does the databricks-vector-search skill do?

Databricks Vector Search endpoints and indexes for RAG and semantic search; covers index types, search modes, end-to-end RAG patterns

How do I install databricks-vector-search?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/databricks/databricks-agent-skills --skill databricks-vector-search in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/databricks-vector-search/ (personal) or .claude/skills/databricks-vector-search/ (project).

Which AI agents can use databricks-vector-search?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is databricks-vector-search safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains databricks-vector-search?

It is published by databricks in databricks/databricks-agent-skills. It has 384 recorded installs.

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