Vector databases (Pinecone, ChromaDB, Weaviate) in Prompt Engineering / GenAI - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is a vector database?

A vector database stores and searches data as vectors, which are lists of numbers representing things like text or images. It helps find similar items quickly by comparing these vectors.

beginner

Name three popular vector databases.

Pinecone, ChromaDB, and Weaviate are three popular vector databases used to store and search vector data efficiently.

intermediate

How does a vector database find similar items?

It compares vectors using math measures like cosine similarity or Euclidean distance to find items that are close or similar in meaning.

beginner

What is a real-life example of using a vector database?

Imagine searching for a photo of a sunset. A vector database can find photos that look similar by comparing their vector representations, even if the exact words aren’t used.

intermediate

What makes Pinecone, ChromaDB, and Weaviate different?

Pinecone is a managed service focusing on scalability and speed. ChromaDB is open-source and easy to integrate. Weaviate offers rich features like built-in ML models and semantic search.

What does a vector in a vector database represent?

A A type of image file

B A text string describing data

C A database table row

D A list of numbers representing data features

Vectors are lists of numbers that represent data features like text or images for similarity search.

Which similarity measure is commonly used in vector databases?

A Exact string match

B Cosine similarity

C Sorting alphabetically

D Counting words

Cosine similarity measures how close two vectors are in direction, helping find similar items.

Which vector database is known for being open-source?

A ChromaDB

B Pinecone

C Weaviate

D MySQL

ChromaDB is an open-source vector database, making it easy to use and customize.

What is a key benefit of using a vector database?

A Fast similarity search on complex data

B Storing only text files

C Replacing spreadsheets

D Running SQL queries faster

Vector databases enable fast search for similar items in complex data like images or text.

Which vector database offers built-in machine learning features?

A Pinecone

B ChromaDB

C Weaviate

D SQLite

Weaviate includes built-in ML models and semantic search capabilities.

Explain what a vector database is and why it is useful in AI applications.

Think about how computers find similar things using numbers.

Compare Pinecone, ChromaDB, and Weaviate in terms of features and typical use cases.

Focus on what makes each database special.