Semantic search with Azure MS SQL and EF Core

In May 2024, the first version of the EFCore.SqlServer.VectorSearch extension was released. This was a significant step towards simplifying vector operations for EF Core users working with Azure SQL.
This plugin is currently in prerelease status, so the APIs and features may evolve before the final release. Here's a quick overview of what it offers.

What Does the Plugin Do?

This plugin bridges EF Core and Azure SQL Database's native vector support, enabling developers to:

• Perform vector similarity searches using LINQ.
• insert and retrieve vector data in Azure SQL.

builder.Services.AddDbContext<ProductContext>(options =>
  options.UseSqlServer("<connection string>", o => o.UseVectorSearch()));

protected override void OnModelCreating(ModelBuilder modelBuilder)
{
    modelBuilder.Entity<Product>().Property(p => p.Embedding).HasColumnType("vector(3)");
}

public class Product
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public float[] Embedding { get; set; }
}

var someVector = new[] { 1f, 2f, 3f };
var products = await context.Products
    .OrderBy(p => EF.Functions.VectorDistance("cosine", p.Embedding, vector))
    .Take(5)
    .ToArrayAsync();

With this, working with embeddings and vectorized data becomes possible, directly within your EF Core projects.

A full sample using EF Core and vector is available here: https://github.com/Azure-Samples/azure-sql-db-vector-search/tree/main/EF-Core

Azure SQL's Native Vector Support

Since November 2024, Azure SQL Database has been supporting embeddings through its Public Preview of native vector functionality. This development has made it possible to:

• Store and manage vector data.
• Perform advanced operations like similarity searches directly in SQL.

For more details, check out the official announcement: Public Preview of Native Vector Support in Azure SQL Database.

Learn more about the vector features in Azure SQL in this guide: Azure SQL Vector Public Preview.

For more details, visit the GitHub repository: EFCore.SqlServer.VectorSearch.

More of this on: https://chsami.com

Happy coding!

Comments

[SkillBoostTrainer]

Great overview! The EFCore.SqlServer.VectorSearch extension looks promising for integrating vector operations with EF Core and Azure SQL. Excited to see how this evolves after the prerelease!