Mar 12, 2026: Recent Cortex Search updates (Generally Available)¶

The following Cortex Search features, previously available in preview, are now generally available.

Multi-index search¶

Cortex Search services now support multiple searchable columns within a single service, with targeted queries to specific indexes. For more information, see Multi-index Cortex Search.

Custom vector embeddings¶

You can now create Cortex Search services that use pre-computed vector embeddings instead of, or in addition to, Snowflake-provided embeddings for hybrid retrieval with your own or third-party models. For more information, see Custom vector embeddings.

Enhanced Cortex Search tool for Cortex Agents and Snowflake Intelligence¶

The Cortex Search tool now supports dynamic control over search behavior via the latest Cortex search API. Its capabilities include:

Search service selection: Query a single search service based on tool descriptions rather than all services, reducing latency and cost.
Dynamic filters: Apply filter conditions on each search call using attribute columns.
Dynamic columns: Specify which metadata columns to retrieve per search call.
Dynamic result count: Set the number of results per call, up to 500.
Multi-index query support: Issue per-index queries to multi-index services.

To enable this functionality, configure column descriptions in the columns_and_descriptions field of the Cortex Search tool resource.

For more information, see Add tools to agents.