SQL Recipe Library

Introduction

This recipe library provides copy-paste ready SQL queries for common NeuronDB operations. Each recipe file contains multiple queries with explanations, use cases, and complexity ratings.

What you'll find:

• ✅ Ready-to-run SQL queries for vector search
• ✅ Hybrid search patterns combining vector and full-text search
• ✅ Filtered search examples with SQL WHERE clauses
• ✅ Index creation and tuning patterns
• ✅ Embedding generation examples

Quick Start

Get started with recipes in three steps:

1. Load Quickstart Data

If you haven't already, load the quickstart data pack:

./examples/quickstart/load_quickstart.sh

2. Try a Recipe

Run a recipe file directly:

psql "postgresql://neurondb:neurondb@localhost:5433/neurondb" -f 01_vector_search.sql

3. Or Copy Individual Queries

Open the recipe file, find the query you need, and copy it into your SQL client.

Recipe Files

The recipe library includes 5 main recipe files:

Recipe Categories

1. Vector Search (01_vector_search.sql)

Basic to advanced vector similarity search queries.

Key Recipes:

• Basic cosine similarity search
• L2/Euclidean distance search
• Inner product search
• Distance threshold filtering
• Multi-metric comparison

When to Use:

• Finding similar documents
• Recommendation systems
• Semantic search
• Similarity-based ranking

2. Hybrid Search (02_hybrid_search.sql)

Combine vector similarity with full-text search.

Key Recipes:

• Weighted combination (vector + FTS)
• Reciprocal Rank Fusion (RRF)
• Query text search
• Boosted fields
• Performance comparison

When to Use:

• Combining semantic and keyword search
• Improving search recall
• Handling both synonym and exact match queries
• Balancing relevance and precision

3. Filtered Search (03_filtered_search.sql)

Vector search with SQL WHERE clause filters.

Key Recipes:

• Category filtering
• Date range filtering
• Multiple filter conditions
• Top-K per category
• Complex filters

When to Use:

• Category-based recommendations
• Time-based search (recent items)
• User-specific filtering
• Excluding unwanted results
• Multi-criteria search

4. Indexing (04_indexing.sql)

Create and manage vector indexes.

Key Recipes:

• HNSW index creation (L2, cosine, inner product)
• IVF index creation
• Index parameter tuning
• Multiple indexes
• Performance optimization

When to Use:

• Setting up new tables
• Optimizing query performance
• Tuning for your workload
• Supporting multiple distance metrics

5. Embedding Generation (05_embedding_generation.sql)

Generate embeddings from text.

Key Recipes:

• Single embedding generation
• Batch generation
• Updating existing documents
• Query embedding generation
• Error handling

When to Use:

• Ingesting new documents
• Updating existing data
• Generating query vectors
• Batch processing

Usage Patterns

Pattern 1: Run Entire Recipe File

# Run all recipes in a file
psql "postgresql://neurondb:neurondb@localhost:5433/neurondb" -f 01_vector_search.sql

# Or with Docker Compose
docker compose exec neurondb psql -U neurondb -d neurondb -f /path/to/recipes/01_vector_search.sql

Pattern 2: Copy Individual Queries

1. Open the recipe file
2. Find the recipe you need
3. Copy the SQL query
4. Paste into your SQL client
5. Modify as needed for your use case

Pattern 3: Interactive Learning

1. Run a simple recipe first
2. Understand the output
3. Try modifying the query
4. Experiment with parameters
5. Move to more complex recipes

Complexity Guide

• ⭐ Beginner: Simple queries, basic operations, easy to understand
• ⭐⭐ Intermediate: Moderate complexity, requires some SQL knowledge
• ⭐⭐⭐ Advanced: Complex queries, performance optimization, advanced patterns

Common Use Cases

Use Case: Build a Recommendation System

1. Setup: Load quickstart data or your own data
2. Indexing: Use 04_indexing.sql to create HNSW index
3. Search: Use 01_vector_search.sql for similarity search
4. Filtering: Use 03_filtered_search.sql for user/category filters

Use Case: Semantic Search with Keywords

1. Setup: Load data with embeddings
2. Hybrid: Use 02_hybrid_search.sql for combined search
3. Filtering: Use 03_filtered_search.sql for additional filters

Use Case: Ingest New Documents

1. Generation: Use 05_embedding_generation.sql to generate embeddings
2. Indexing: Use 04_indexing.sql to create indexes
3. Search: Use 01_vector_search.sql to query

Tips for Using Recipes

1. Start Simple

Begin with ⭐ complexity recipes to understand the patterns.

2. Read Comments

Each recipe includes comments explaining what it does and when to use it.

3. Customize for Your Schema

Recipes use quickstart_documents table - adjust table/column names for your schema.

4. Understand Parameters

HNSW parameters (m, ef_construction), search parameters (ef_search), etc.

5. Test Performance

Use EXPLAIN ANALYZE to verify index usage and query performance.

6. Combine Recipes

Mix recipes from different files to build complex workflows.

Adapting Recipes

Change Table Name

Recipes use quickstart_documents - replace with your table:

-- Recipe uses:
FROM quickstart_documents

-- Change to:
FROM your_table_name

Change Column Names

Adjust embedding column name if different:

-- Recipe uses:
embedding <=> ...

-- Change to:
your_embedding_column <=> ...

Change Dimensions

Adjust vector dimensions to match your model:

-- Recipe uses:
embedding vector(384)

-- Change to:
embedding vector(1536)  -- For OpenAI ada-002

Performance Tips

1. Use Indexes

All vector search queries benefit from HNSW indexes. See 04_indexing.sql.

2. Tune Search Parameters

Adjust hnsw.ef_search (HNSW) or ivfflat.probes (IVF) for speed vs. recall.

3. Use Filters

Apply WHERE clauses before vector search to reduce search space.

4. Batch Operations

When generating embeddings, use batch processing (see 05_embedding_generation.sql).

5. Monitor Performance

Use EXPLAIN ANALYZE to verify index usage and query plans.

Troubleshooting

"Table quickstart_documents does not exist"

Solution: Load the quickstart data pack first:

./examples/quickstart/load_quickstart.sh

Or adapt the recipe to use your own table.

"Index not used in query"

Solution:

1. Verify index exists: \d table_name
2. Check query uses correct operator (<=> for cosine, <-> for L2)
3. Increase ef_search if using HNSW
4. Use EXPLAIN ANALYZE to see query plan

"Embedding generation fails"

Solution:

1. Check embedding model is configured
2. Verify API keys (if using external models)
3. Check network connectivity
4. See 05_embedding_generation.sql for error handling examples

"Query is slow"

Solution:

1. Create/verify indexes (see 04_indexing.sql)
2. Adjust search parameters (ef_search, probes)
3. Add filters to reduce search space
4. Use EXPLAIN ANALYZE to identify bottlenecks

Related Resources

• Quickstart Data Pack - Sample data for trying recipes
• Quickstart Guide - Complete quickstart guide
• CLI Helpers - Command-line tools for common tasks
• NeuronDB Documentation - Comprehensive documentation