Vertex AI Vector Search: UpdateIndex updates embeddings OR metadata, not both

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

[Google Cloud docs]: use removeDatapoints to delete data points from a streaming index, for example when an item is sold out or removed from stock, so search results stay accurate.

Steps

1. [Google Cloud docs]: use removeDatapoints to delete data points from a streaming index, for example when an item is sold out or removed from stock, so search results stay accurate. UpdateIndex updates display_name, description, and labels for batch and streaming indexes, but one call updates either the embeddings or these metadata fields, never both. In the console, open the streaming index, choose Edit Index, and use the Remove data points tab for up to 20 data point IDs per operation.

When to use

Use this skill when you run into "Vertex AI Vector Search: UpdateIndex updates embeddings OR metadata, not both".

When not to use

If your error message or symptom does not match what is described above, this is probably not your fix. Search for your exact error text instead of forcing this one to fit.

Versions

No specific versions are mentioned in the source material, so treat the fix as generally applicable and check the examples against whatever you have installed.

Why this happens

The original report does not dig into a root cause. It documents the symptom and the fix that resolved it.

Source: A single IndexService.UpdateIndex call can update the index embeddings or the metadata fields, but not both at once. Splitting the call avoids a silent no-op.

Verified resolution: [Google Cloud docs]: use removeDatapoints to delete data points from a streaming index, for example when an item is sold out or removed from stock, so search results stay accurate. UpdateIndex updates display_name, description, and labels for batch and streaming indexes, but one call updates either the embeddings or these metadata fields, never both. In the console, open the streaming index, choose Edit Index, and use the Remove data points tab for up to 20 data point IDs per operation.

Source URL: https://docs.cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/docs/vector-search/update-rebuild-index