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Implement latest SQL Server approximate vector search feature#38075

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roji merged 2 commits intomainfrom
roji/vector-search-updates
Apr 10, 2026
Merged

Implement latest SQL Server approximate vector search feature#38075
roji merged 2 commits intomainfrom
roji/vector-search-updates

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@roji roji commented Apr 10, 2026

@roji roji requested a review from a team as a code owner April 10, 2026 09:14
Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings April 10, 2026 09:14
Copilot AI reviewed Apr 10, 2026
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Pull request overview

Updates EF Core’s SQL Server vector search support to match the latest VECTOR_SEARCH() syntax/requirements (Azure SQL-only at the moment), shifting result limiting to LINQ composition and emitting the WITH APPROXIMATE modifier.

Changes:

  • Removed the topN argument from SqlServerQueryableExtensions.VectorSearch() and updated translation/SQL generation accordingly.
  • Updated SQL generation to append WITH APPROXIMATE when TOP(...) is used over a VECTOR_SEARCH() source.
  • Updated functional tests to run only on Azure SQL, seed enough rows for vector index creation, and assert the new SQL shape.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 7 out of 8 changed files in this pull request and generated 2 comments.

Show a summary per file
File Description
test/EFCore.SqlServer.FunctionalTests/Query/Translations/VectorTranslationsSqlServerTest.cs Adjusts vector-search tests for Azure-only execution, new query shape (OrderBy/Take), and updated seeding/index creation.
test/EFCore.SqlServer.FunctionalTests/EFCore.SqlServer.FunctionalTests.csproj Adds Azure SqlClient extensions package to support Azure SQL connectivity scenarios in tests.
src/EFCore.SqlServer/Query/Internal/SqlServerQuerySqlGenerator.cs Updates VECTOR_SEARCH() TVF SQL and adds WITH APPROXIMATE emission for TOP(...).
src/EFCore.SqlServer/Query/Internal/SqlServerQueryableMethodTranslatingExpressionVisitor.cs Updates translation for VectorSearch to drop the topN argument.
src/EFCore.SqlServer/Extensions/VectorSearchResult.cs Updates XML doc reference to the new VectorSearch signature.
src/EFCore.SqlServer/Extensions/SqlServerQueryableExtensions.cs Removes topN from the public API and updates the expression construction.
Directory.Packages.props Adds centrally-managed version for Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.Extensions.Azure.
.gitignore Ignores language server cache files (*.lscache).

@roji roji force-pushed the roji/vector-search-updates branch from 6755e3f to 7244a28 Compare April 10, 2026 09:33
Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings April 10, 2026 09:41
@roji roji force-pushed the roji/vector-search-updates branch from 7244a28 to 0e2e40a Compare April 10, 2026 09:41
Copilot AI reviewed Apr 10, 2026
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Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 7 out of 8 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

@roji roji force-pushed the roji/vector-search-updates branch from 0e2e40a to d970878 Compare April 10, 2026 09:49
Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings April 10, 2026 18:55
@roji roji force-pushed the roji/vector-search-updates branch from d970878 to 65b1032 Compare April 10, 2026 18:55
Copilot AI reviewed Apr 10, 2026
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Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 7 out of 8 changed files in this pull request and generated no new comments.

AndriySvyryd
AndriySvyryd reviewed Apr 10, 2026
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.gitignore Outdated
Comment on lines +345 to +347

# Language Server cache
*.lscache
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@AndriySvyryd AndriySvyryd Apr 10, 2026

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Can revert

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@roji roji Apr 10, 2026

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Any reason to though? These starting appearing for me, seems right to ignore them no?

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@AndriySvyryd AndriySvyryd Apr 10, 2026

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No reason to add duplicates: https://github.com/dotnet/efcore/blob/main/.gitignore#L222

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@roji roji Apr 10, 2026

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Ah, you didn't say that it was already done.

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@AndriySvyryd AndriySvyryd Apr 10, 2026

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trust me 😆

AndriySvyryd
AndriySvyryd reviewed Apr 10, 2026
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Directory.Packages.props Outdated
<PackageVersion Include="Microsoft.Azure.Cosmos" Version="3.58.0" />
<!-- SQL Server dependencies -->
<PackageVersion Include="Microsoft.Data.SqlClient" Version="7.0.0" />
<PackageVersion Include="Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.Extensions.Azure" Version="1.0.0" />
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@AndriySvyryd AndriySvyryd Apr 10, 2026

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We should only use this in tests

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@roji roji Apr 10, 2026

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We are... But the version is managed centrally here. Any issue?

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@AndriySvyryd AndriySvyryd Apr 10, 2026

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Add it here to make sure that it's not used in shipped code: https://github.com/dotnet/efcore/blob/main/test/Directory.Packages.props

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@roji roji Apr 10, 2026

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I see, seems overly defensive given one has to actually add a <PackageReference> (these are just version nodes). But will do.

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@AndriySvyryd AndriySvyryd Apr 10, 2026

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The primary reason for this file is to allow to use different versions (higher) in tests, but I think the above is a nice side-effect.

@roji roji enabled auto-merge (squash) April 10, 2026 22:06
@roji roji merged commit 002d1ca into main Apr 10, 2026
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@roji roji deleted the roji/vector-search-updates branch April 10, 2026 23:17
@dotnet-maestro dotnet-maestro bot mentioned this pull request Apr 11, 2026
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