Alpha Parameter

Note: This parameter will be replaced with more sophisticated search techniques that automatically determine the optimal balance based on your query and content.

The alpha parameter controls the balance between keyword and semantic search in Ducky's retrieval system.

How Alpha Works

alpha=0: Pure keyword search (exact text matching)
alpha=1: Pure semantic search (meaning-based matching)
alpha=0.5: Balanced hybrid approach

Recommendations

For most use cases, we recommend:

Use alpha=0 for keyword search when you need exact term matching
Use alpha=1 for everything else (semantic understanding)

Examples

from duckyai import DuckyAI

ducky = DuckyAI(api_key="your-api-key")

# Keyword search for exact terms
results = ducky.documents.retrieve(
    index_name="products",
    query="SKU-12345",
    alpha=0,
    top_k=5
)

# Semantic search for concepts
results = ducky.documents.retrieve(
    index_name="products",
    query="budget-friendly laptops",
    alpha=1,
    top_k=5
)

import { Ducky } from "duckyai-ts";

const ducky = new Ducky({
  apiKey: process.env.DUCKY_API_KEY ?? "",
});

// Keyword search for exact terms
const results = await ducky.documents.retrieve({
  indexName: "products",
  query: "SKU-12345",
  alpha: 0,
  topK: 5
});

// Semantic search for concepts
const results = await ducky.documents.retrieve({
  indexName: "products",
  query: "budget-friendly laptops",
  alpha: 1,
  topK: 5
});

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