SurrealDB Python

Overview

SurrealDB is a multi-model database that combines document, graph, and vector search capabilities in a single system. This skill provides comprehensive guidance for working with SurrealDB 2.3.x using the Python SDK, covering standard database operations, graph relationships, vector similarity search, and real-time data subscriptions.

When to Use This Skill

Apply this skill when:

• Setting up SurrealDB connections and performing CRUD operations
• Implementing graph databases with the RELATE statement and traversal queries
• Building semantic search or RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) applications with vector embeddings
• Creating real-time applications with live queries
• Designing multi-model schemas that combine documents, graphs, and vectors

Core Capabilities

1. Connection and Authentication

Establish connections to SurrealDB using the Python SDK with proper authentication:

from surrealdb import AsyncSurreal

async with AsyncSurreal("ws://localhost:8000/rpc") as db:
    await db.signin({"user": "root", "pass": "root"})
    await db.use("namespace", "database")
    # Perform operations

2. CRUD Operations

Perform standard database operations using intuitive Python methods:

• create() - Insert new records with specific or auto-generated IDs
• select() - Retrieve single records or entire tables
• update() - Replace entire record contents
• merge() - Partially update records by merging new fields
• patch() - Apply JSON Patch operations for precise modifications
• upsert() - Create if absent, update if present
• delete() - Remove records or entire tables
• query() - Execute raw SurrealQL for complex operations

Example workflow:

# Create
user = await db.create("user", {
    "name": "Alice",
    "email": "alice@example.com"
})

# Update specific fields
await db.merge("user:alice", {"age": 30})


# Query with parameters
results = await db.query(
    "SELECT * FROM user WHERE age > $min_age",
    {"min_age": 25}
)

3. Graph Database Operations

Leverage SurrealDB's native graph capabilities to model and traverse relationships without JOINs:

Creating Relationships:

# Create entities
await db.create("person:alice", {"name": "Alice"})
await db.create("person:bob", {"name": "Bob"})

# Create relationship with metadata
await db.query("""
    RELATE person:alice->knows->person:bob
    SET since = "2024-01-01", strength = "close"
""")

Traversing Graphs:

# Find friends of friends
result = await db.query("""
    SELECT ->knows->person->knows->person AS friends_of_friends
    FROM person:alice
""")

# Bidirectional traversal
result = await db.query("""
    SELECT <->connected_to<->city AS connected_cities
    FROM city:nyc
""")

# Recursive queries (variable depth)
result = await db.query("""
    SELECT @.{1,5}->manages->person AS management_chain
    FROM person:ceo
""")

Key Graph Features:

• RELATE statement for creating edges between nodes
• Arrow syntax (->, <->) for intuitive traversal
• Recursive patterns with @.{depth} notation
• Graph clauses for filtering during traversal
• Edge tables that store relationship metadata

For comprehensive graph patterns, schema definitions, and best practices, see references/graph_operations.md.

4. Vector Search and Embeddings

Implement semantic search and similarity-based retrieval using vector embeddings:

Storing Vectors:

from sentence_transformers import SentenceTransformer

model = SentenceTransformer("all-MiniLM-L6-v2")

# Generate and store embedding
text = "SurrealDB is a multi-model database"
embedding = model.encode(text).tolist()

await db.create("documents", {
    "content": text,
    "embedding": embedding,
    "metadata": {"source": "docs"}
})

Semantic Search with KNN:

# Generate query embedding
query_text = "database features"
query_embedding = model.encode(query_text).tolist()

# Find 5 most similar documents
result = await db.query("""
    SELECT content,
           vector::similarity::cosine(embedding, $query_vector) AS similarity
    FROM documents
    WHERE embedding <|5|> $query_vector
    ORDER BY similarity DESC
""", {"query_vector": query_embedding})

Key Vector Features:

• KNN operator <|k|> for k-nearest neighbor search
• Multiple distance metrics (cosine, euclidean, manhattan)
• Hybrid search combining vector and full-text search
• Integration with popular embedding models (OpenAI, HuggingFace, Sentence Transformers)

For complete RAG implementations, embedding model comparisons, and optimization techniques, reference references/vector_search.md.

5. Real-Time Queries

Subscribe to live data changes for real-time applications:

# Start live query
live_id = await db.live("user")

# Subscribe to changes
async for notification in db.subscribe_live(live_id):
    action = notification['action']  # 'CREATE', 'UPDATE', 'DELETE'
    data = notification['result']
    print(f"Change detected: {action} - {data}")

# Stop live query when done
await db.kill(live_id)

Workflow Patterns

Building a RAG Application

1. Define Schema:

   await db.query("""
       DEFINE TABLE documents SCHEMAFULL;
       DEFINE FIELD content ON TABLE documents TYPE string;
       DEFINE FIELD embedding ON TABLE documents TYPE array;
       DEFINE FIELD metadata ON TABLE documents TYPE object;
   """)
   

2. Index Documents:

   for doc in documents:
       embedding = model.encode(doc["content"]).tolist()
       await db.create("documents", {
           "content": doc["content"],
           "embedding": embedding,
           "metadata": doc.get("metadata", {})
       })
   

3. Semantic Search:

   query_embedding = model.encode("user query").tolist()
   results = await db.query("""
       SELECT content, metadata,
              vector::similarity::cosine(embedding, $query_vector) AS score
       FROM documents
       WHERE embedding <|5|> $query_vector
       ORDER BY score DESC
   """, {"query_vector": query_embedding})
   

4. Pass to LLM: Use retrieved context with language model for generation

Implementing a Knowledge Graph

1. Create Entities:

   await db.create("concept:ai", {"name": "Artificial Intelligence"})
   await db.create("concept:ml", {"name": "Machine Learning"})
   

2. Define Relationships:

   await db.query("""
       RELATE concept:ml->is_subset_of->concept:ai
       SET confidence = 0.95
   """)
   

3. Traverse and Query:

   # Find all parent concepts recursively
   result = await db.query("""
       SELECT @.{1,}->is_subset_of->concept AS parents
       FROM concept:ml
   """)
   

Combining Graph and Vector Search

Leverage both graph relationships and semantic similarity:

# Find semantically similar documents connected through graph relationships
result = await db.query("""
    SELECT *,
           vector::similarity::cosine(embedding, $query_vector) AS vec_score
    FROM documents
    WHERE embedding <|10|> $query_vector
      AND ->cited_by->document<-authored_by<-person = $author_id
    ORDER BY vec_score DESC
""", {
    "query_vector": query_embedding,
    "author_id": "person:researcher1"
})

Best Practices

Connection Management

• Use context managers (async with) for automatic cleanup
• Handle SurrealException for proper error handling
• Set appropriate timeouts for long-running queries

Schema Design

• Define schemas with SCHEMAFULL for data integrity
• Create indexes on frequently queried fields
• Use assertions for validation and referential integrity

Graph Operations

• Define unique indexes on edge tables to prevent duplicate relationships
• Add timeouts to recursive queries (TIMEOUT 5s)
• Use FETCH to optimize queries that need related data
• Store metadata in edge tables when relationships have properties

Vector Search

• Choose embedding models appropriate for your domain and latency requirements
• Normalize embeddings when using cosine similarity
• Create indexes on vector fields for production workloads
• Chunk long documents (500-1000 tokens) with overlap for better retrieval
• Combine vector search with metadata filtering for precision

Query Optimization

• Parameterize queries to prevent injection attacks
• Batch operations when inserting multiple records
• Use appropriate k values for KNN (3-5 for precision, 10-20 for recall)
• Leverage hybrid search (vector + full-text) for best results

Common Use Cases

Semantic Search & RAG: Store document embeddings and perform similarity searches to retrieve relevant context for language models.

Knowledge Graphs: Model complex relationships between entities with typed edges and metadata, enabling sophisticated graph traversal queries.

Social Networks: Represent users and their connections, traverse friend relationships, and find mutual connections or recommendations.

Recommendation Systems: Combine collaborative filtering (graph relationships) with content-based filtering (vector similarity) for hybrid recommendations.

Real-Time Applications: Subscribe to data changes for live dashboards, chat applications, or notification systems.

Reference Documentation

This skill includes comprehensive reference documentation:

• references/graph_operations.md - In-depth guide to graph database operations, RELATE syntax, traversal patterns, and schema design
• references/vector_search.md - Vector search implementation details, embedding model comparisons, RAG patterns, and LangChain integration

Load these references when implementing specific features or troubleshooting issues.

Additional Resources

• Repository: github.com/surrealdb/surrealdb.py
• PyPI Package: pypi.org/project/surrealdb
• Official Documentation: surrealdb.com/docs
• SurrealQL Reference: surrealdb.com/docs/surrealql