Search sparse vectors

Returns the k stored sparse vectors most similar to a sparse query vector, optionally filtered by metadata.

POST /v1/tenants/{tenant}/vector/{table}/topk_sparse

Compare weighted features in sparse vectorsQuery positions and values must use the same dimension as stored data.

Pair query indices and valuesDescribe the populated features of the query.
Search with optional metadata filtersCompare against stored sparse vectors.
Inspect similar vector IDsRead each returned similarity score.

Before you start

Use your database bearer token.

Connection setup

Store sparse vectors in the collection before searching. The example uses demo_vectors.

Path parameters

Field	Type	Required
`tenant`	`string`	Required
`table`	`string`	Required

Headers

Field	Type	Required	Description
`x-oc-db-user`	`string`	Optional	Acting database user (role, grant and row-policy checks). Send with x-oc-db-key.
`x-oc-db-key`	`string`	Optional	API key of the x-oc-db-user user.

Request body

application/json

Limits and accepted values

`filter` is a strict-equality metadata map ({field: value});
`filter_expr` is the typed operator filter (e.g. {"tag": {"$eq": "a"}}) and cannot be combined with a non-empty `filter`;
`require_complete: true` turns an underfilled filtered answer into a 422.

Field	Type	Required
`dim`	`integer`	Required
`filter`	`object`	Optional
`filter_expr`	`object`	Optional
`k`	`integer`	Required
`query_indices`	`integer[]`	Required

Fields in query_indices

Field	Type	Required
`query_indices`	`integer`	Optional

Field	Type	Required
`query_values`	`number[]`	Required

Fields in query_values

Field	Type	Required
`query_values`	`number`	Optional

Field	Type	Required
`require_complete`	`boolean`	Optional

Read the result

Each hit identifies a stored sparse vector and its similarity score. Pair query indices with query values and keep the dimension consistent with the stored data.

Response statuses

HTTP status reference

Status	What to do
200	OK
400	Correct the request before retrying.
401	Check the credential and Authorization header.
402	Check feature access or available credits.
403	Check tenant access, roles and permissions.
408	Reduce query work or adjust the timeout.
413	Split or reduce the request body.
415	Send the required Content-Type.
422	Correct the values or unsupported combination.
429	Honor Retry-After when present; back off.
499	The client cancelled the request.
500	Check the outcome before retrying a write.
501	Check deployment support for this operation.
503	Honor Retry-After when present; check write outcomes.

Request example

curl --include --request POST "${OC_BASE_URL}/v1/tenants/${OC_TENANT}/vector/demo_vectors/topk_sparse" \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer ${OC_TOKEN}" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data-binary '{
  "dim": 3,
  "k": 5,
  "query_indices": [
    0,
    2
  ],
  "query_values": [
    0.4,
    0.8
  ]
}'

Response example

Examples use synthetic values to show the response format.

Response status

[
  {
    "id": "v1",
    "score": 1
  }
]

Illustrative sparse similarity; only v1 was seeded in the sparse fixture.

Download the OpenAPI specification for the complete response schemas.

Before you startCopy Anchor Link

Path parametersCopy Anchor Link

HeadersCopy Anchor Link

Request bodyCopy Anchor Link