Hello @Vilhelm Heiberg you're correct, there are several approaches to handle your multilingual search scenario with Azure AI Search. Here's a breakdown of the three options you mentioned, along with their pros, cons, and which might be the best fit for your situation:
1. One Index per Language:
Pros:
- Simplest setup - easy to understand and manage.
- Potentially faster searches within each language due to language-specific optimizations.
- Easier to implement language-specific ranking algorithms.
Cons:
- Requires managing and maintaining multiple indexes.
- Data duplication across indexes increases storage requirements.
- Routing user queries to the correct language index can add complexity.
2. One Index with Flat Fields (All Languages):
Pros:
- Simpler index management compared to multiple language indexes.
- Lower storage requirements as data isn't duplicated.
Cons:
- Search performance might be less optimal compared to language-specific analyzers.
- Requires custom logic or filtering to handle searches specific to a particular language.
- Might be challenging to implement language-specific ranking.
3. One Index with Complex Fields (Subfields per Language):
Pros:
- Good balance between manageability and performance.
- Single index for all data simplifies management.
- Leverage language-specific analyzers for each subfield for optimal search.
- Supports filtering and faceting based on language-specific fields.
Cons:
- More complex index structure compared to flat fields.
- Requires careful configuration of analyzers and synonym maps for each language.
Overall, if you prioritize both search performance and manageability then I would suggest option 3 (One Index with Complex Fields (Subfields per Language). This approach offers a good balance and allows for language-specific optimizations.
Also, If you have a limited number of languages (2-3), managing separate indexes might be feasible. However, as the number of languages grows, the complexity of managing multiple indexes increases, making option 3 (complex fields) the better option.
Hope that helps.
-Grace