Vector databases (beyond the hype)
Practical AI
What is a Vector Database and Why Are People Talking About Them?
A vector database is a purpose-built database that efficiently manages, stores, and updates vectors at scale. It contains compressed data representations with semantic information about underlying entities. People are talking about them now because they are part of a three-part series on vector databases, discussing what makes each one different and understanding their internals. Not all indices are created equal, so it's important to explore these topics. Let's break it down into parts and answer each bit sequentially. Starting with what data is, it's an organized collection of structured or semi-structured information stored digitally in a computer. To store data, we need a database, which allows easy access, management, updating, and querying of the data. Vectors are compressed representations that contain semantic information about any underlying entity, like text, images, or audio. Putting it all together, a vector database efficiently manages vectors at scale.
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
