Full-text and vector search in one YDB database

Yandex B2B Tech added hybrid search to YDB in release 26.3, combining a full-text index with BM25 ranking and a vector index in a single database, where both are updated in the same transaction as the primary data.

Compiled by Sergey KostenchukPublished 2026-10-02Updated 2026-10-02

2026-10-02 Coding

💻 Full-text and vector search in one YDB database

Yandex B2B Tech released hybrid search in YDB: a full-text index with BM25 ranking and a vector index are combined in a single database and updated in the same transaction as the primary data. The HybridRank function combines the results in a single SQL query; the version is YDB 26.3.

🌍 Teams with RAG assistants, knowledge bases, and support no longer need the “primary DB + separate search engine + vector storage” scheme with a synchronization window: a row written a second ago is immediately visible in search.

👤 You can try it hands-on: the full-text index is added as a regular secondary index via ALTER TABLE. Available in open source (ydb.tech), Managed Service for YDB, and on-premises; a webinar on building search with RAG is scheduled for October 15.

Source 1: https://yandex.cloud/ru/blog/hybrid-search-ydb Source 2: https://habr.com/ru/companies/ydb/articles/1087208/

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