lance-format / lance-format/lance

Migrate index when casting a vector column

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enhancement rust
Dominant language
Rust
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Avg merge
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Merged PRs (30d)
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Description

In alter_columns(), we can cast vector columns to new types. Currently, this loses the index. However, we should be able to preserve the index as part of the transaction if we migrate it somehow.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by tracing alter_columns() and the transaction used when casting vector columns to new types. Determine how the existing index is represented and migrated during the cast. Done means the index is preserved after the column type changes, with coverage for the transactional migration behavior.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
rust
Domain
databases
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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