Essential Guide to Databases
Explore the fundamental concepts of databases with our comprehensive collection of articles.
Full-Text Search Use Cases: Revolutionizing Data Retrieval
Beyond Keywords: How FTS Transforms Data Retrieval With data inundation becoming the norm, swiftly locating pertinent information is a critical determinant of success for organizations and individuals alike. Traditional search, limited by exact keyword matching, fails to meet current demands. Full-Text Search (FTS) steps in, transcending mere keyword matching to understanding context and nuances of the data. […]
Full-Text Indexing in TiDB: Best Practices for Performance
High-Performance FTS Indexing in TiDB Efficient Full-Text Search (FTS) is a cornerstone of modern data-driven applications. In TiDB, our distributed SQL database built for large-scale data, optimizing FTS indexing is vital. This guide outlines best practices for designing, creating, and managing FTS indexes in TiDB for optimal performance. We aim to equip you—whether you’re a Database Administrator, […]
The Evolution of Search: From Keyword to Semantic and Hybrid
Introduction Remember the early days of search? When searching for information online felt like rummaging through a cluttered closet, hoping to find just the right thing? Search technology has come a long way since those primitive times. From simple keyword matching to sophisticated, context-aware semantic search, we’ve reached an era where hybrid solutions offer unparalleled […]
TiDB Full-Text Search vs. Elastic search: A Comprehensive Comparison
Integrated Search vs. Standalone: TiDB FTS vs. Elastic Search Database architects and developers face a common dilemma: integrate search into their database or use a standalone search engine? Elastic search has long dominated as a dedicated search powerhouse, known for its specialized features and strong community. However, TiDB’s native Full-Text Search (FTS) offers a new approach: it unifies search […]
Hybrid Search with TiDB: Combining Full-Text and Vector Search for AI Applications
Better AI Search: TiDB’s Native Hybrid Capabilities Traditional search methods limit AI applications. Keyword-based, or lexical search, often misses context. Pure vector search can miss specific details. Hybrid Search with TiDB offers a groundbreaking solution for AI applications. It combines both approaches for unmatched search precision. Hybrid Search leverages Full-Text Search (FTS) and vector search technologies. FTS finds exact matches for specific terms. Vector search […]
Full-Text Search in TiDB: Overview and Key Features
Unlock Powerful Search: TiDB’s Native Full-Text Capabilities In today’s data-driven world, sophisticated search functions are more critical than ever for databases. As applications grow increasingly complex and the need for rapid information retrieval becomes paramount, organizations actively seek solutions that provide efficient and effective search. TiDB’s exciting new native Full-Text Search (FTS) capabilities truly revolutionize how we […]
What is Full-Text Search and How Does it Work?
Introduction Ever struggled to find that one piece of information buried deep within countless documents, emails, or product descriptions? In today’s digital world, we’re awash in text data, and efficiently sifting through it to find what truly matters is a constant challenge. This is where Full-Text Search (FTS) steps in. Unlike a simple “Ctrl+F” or a basic […]
High Availability in Distributed Databases: How TiDB Keeps Your Data Always On
In today’s digital-first world, even a few seconds of downtime can cause major disruptions—lost revenue, customer churn, and damaged trust. That’s why high availability (HA) is essential for any mission-critical system, especially distributed databases. While distributed systems are designed for scalability and fault tolerance, ensuring consistent uptime across complex, multi-node environments is anything but simple. […]
Building a RAG Application from Scratch: Evaluation and Deployment
Before We Dive In In this RAG Application Guide, we’ll walk you through building a RAG application from scratch, empowering you to harness its potential for more effective and human-like interactions. Having built the core components of your RAG application, it’s essential to evaluate its performance and ensure it meets your objectives. This part will […]
Building a RAG Application from Scratch: Retrieval and Generation Components
Before We Dive In In this RAG Application Guide, we’ll walk you through building a RAG application from scratch, empowering you to harness its potential for more effective and human-like interactions. In Part 1, we covered the fundamentals of RAG and how to prepare your data. Now, we’ll focus on constructing the retrieval system that […]
Building a RAG Application from Scratch: Understanding RAG and Preparing Your Data
Getting Started Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) combines the strengths of large language models with external knowledge sources to produce more accurate, grounded, and context-aware outputs. If you’re just getting started, this guide walks you through the essential foundations—what RAG is, how it works, and how to prepare your data for use in a RAG pipeline. From […]
Choosing the Right Data Infrastructure for AI: Vector vs Traditional Databases vs Hybrid
Building advanced AI applications today, especially those leveraging generative AI (GenAI) and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), presents a new frontier in data challenges. At the heart of these innovations are vector embeddings—rich, high-dimensional numerical representations that capture the intricate semantic meanings within your data. Traditional databases, designed for structured rows and columns, often struggle to efficiently handle these vectors, […]