When you are creating search apps and data stores, you have the option to turn on various advanced settings to get additional features. Here are the advanced features that are available:
The following table shows Vertex AI Search features and indicates the advanced settings that are required for each feature:
| Feature | Requires |
|---|---|
| Website search (basic website search and advanced website indexing) | Enterprise edition |
| CMEK (customer-managed encryption keys) | Enterprise edition |
| Snippets for unstructured search | No requirements |
| Snippets for website search | Enterprise edition |
| Extractive answers for unstructured search | Enterprise edition |
| Extractive segments for unstructured search | Enterprise edition |
| Search with follow-ups for unstructured search | Advanced LLM features |
| Search summarization for unstructured search | Advanced LLM features |
| Search tuning for unstructured data stores | Enterprise edition |
Enterprise edition features
Enterprise edition features add functionality at the app level. Enterprise tier features incur additional cost. For more information, see Pricing. Turning on Enterprise edition features is required for the following features:
In addition, turning on Enterprise edition features is required for website search. That is, Enterprise edition features are required for any Vertex AI Search app that uses website data (basic website search and advanced website indexing). This setting can't be turned off for apps that are attached to website data stores.
If you turn off Enterprise edition for an existing app, any features in your app that require Enterprise edition will no longer work.
To change this setting for an existing app, see Turn Enterprise edition on or off.
Advanced LLM features
Advanced LLM features add generative AI functionality at the app level. Advanced LLM features incur additional cost. For more information, see Pricing. Turning on advanced LLM features is required for the following features:
Search summarization. For website search, this also requires advanced website indexing.
Search with follow-ups. For website search, this also requires advanced website indexing.
Search with answers and follow-ups (answer method). For website search, this also requires advanced website indexing.
If you turn off advanced LLM features for an existing app, any functionality in your app that requires advanced LLM features will no longer work.
To change this setting for an existing app, see Turn advanced LLM features on or off.
Advanced website indexing
Turning on advanced website indexing generates an index for the websites that you specify when you create your data store. This requires domain verification and imposes a quota on the number of pages that you can index. You can upgrade this quota if necessary. Advanced website indexing incurs additional cost. For more information, see Pricing and Quota for web page indexing.
Advanced website indexing enables the features listed in the following table. The table also indicates other advanced settings that are needed to enable a feature.
Enterprise edition features are required for any Vertex AI Search app that uses website data for basic website search or advanced website indexing.
| Feature | Requires |
|---|---|
| Search summarization using the answer or the search method | Advanced LLM features and advanced website indexing |
| Search with follow-ups using the answer or the converse method | Advanced LLM features and advanced website indexing |
| Extractive segments and answers | Advanced website indexing |
| Search for an image using an image query | Advanced website indexing |
| Sitemap-based index and refresh | Advanced website indexing |
| Automatic index refresh | Advanced website indexing |
| Manual web page refresh | Advanced website indexing |
| Add structured data to data store schema | Advanced website indexing |
| Lower search latency than basic website search | Advanced website indexing |
| Blended search (multiple data stores in a single app) | Advanced website indexing |
| Search tuning | Advanced website indexing |
You have the option to turn on advanced website indexing when you create your data store and when you upgrade your data store. To learn more about the upgrade process, see Turn on advanced website indexing.
You cannot turn off advanced website indexing for an existing data store. Instead, you must create a new data store, and during the data store creation process, don't select the Advanced website indexing option.