Overview
This node, named "Clear Old Vectors," is designed to delete old vector data from a Qdrant collection based on a specified file ID. It is useful in scenarios where you want to clean up or remove outdated vector embeddings associated with a particular file, for example, when updating or reprocessing documents to avoid duplication or stale data in your vector database.
Practical examples include:
- Removing vectors related to a previous version of a document before uploading new embeddings.
- Cleaning up vectors linked to deleted or obsolete files to maintain the accuracy and relevance of your vector search results.
Properties
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| File ID | The identifier of the file whose vectors should be deleted from the Qdrant collection. |
| Additional Options | Collection of optional settings: |
| - Ignore SSL Issues | Whether to ignore SSL certificate issues when making the API request (true/false). |
| - Timeout | Timeout duration in milliseconds for the API request (default is 10000 ms). |
Output
The node outputs a JSON array containing an object with the fileId property, confirming the file ID for which the old vectors were deleted. Example output:
[
{
"fileId": "example-file-id"
}
]
No binary data is produced by this node.
Dependencies
- Requires access to a Qdrant vector database instance.
- Needs an API key credential for authenticating requests to the Qdrant service.
- The node makes HTTP POST requests to the Qdrant API endpoint to delete points matching the given file ID.
- Optional configuration includes ignoring SSL issues and setting a custom timeout for the API request.
Troubleshooting
Common issues:
- Network connectivity problems or incorrect Qdrant URL can cause request failures.
- Invalid or missing API credentials will prevent successful authentication.
- If the file ID does not exist in the collection, no vectors will be deleted but the request may still succeed.
- SSL certificate errors if connecting to Qdrant over HTTPS with self-signed certificates; use the "Ignore SSL Issues" option to bypass.
Error messages:
- Errors during the deletion request are logged to the console with the message "Error deleting old vectors:" followed by the error details.
- To resolve, verify the Qdrant URL, credentials, and network accessibility.
- Adjust timeout settings if requests time out frequently.
Links and References
- Qdrant API Documentation
- n8n HTTP Request Node Documentation (for understanding HTTP request options)