lancedb · prrao87 · May 4, 2026 · May 4, 2026
diff --git a/docs/snippets/tables.mdx b/docs/snippets/tables.mdx
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ export const PyCreateEmptyTable = "import pyarrow as pa\n\nschema = pa.schema(\n
 
 export const PyCreateEmptyTablePydantic = "from lancedb.pydantic import LanceModel, Vector\n\nclass Item(LanceModel):\n    vector: Vector(2)\n    item: str\n    price: float\n\ndb = tmp_db\ntbl = db.create_table(\n    \"test_empty_table_new\", schema=Item.to_arrow_schema(), mode=\"overwrite\"\n)\n";
 
+export const PyCreateTableConflictHandling = "# Idempotent open: reuse the existing table if it exists.\n# The provided data is ignored; the schema is validated against the\n# existing table and a mismatch raises an error.\ntbl = db.create_table(\"conflict_table\", data, exist_ok=True)\n\n# Overwrite: drop the existing table and create a new one with the\n# provided data. This permanently discards the old table's data.\ntbl = db.create_table(\"conflict_table\", data, mode=\"overwrite\")\n";
+
 export const PyCreateTableCustomSchema = "import pyarrow as pa\n\ncustom_schema = pa.schema(\n    [\n        pa.field(\"vector\", pa.list_(pa.float32(), 4)),\n        pa.field(\"lat\", pa.float32()),\n        pa.field(\"long\", pa.float32()),\n    ]\n)\n\ndata = [\n    {\"vector\": [1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4], \"lat\": 45.5, \"long\": -122.7},\n    {\"vector\": [0.2, 1.8, 0.4, 3.6], \"lat\": 40.1, \"long\": -74.1},\n]\ndb = tmp_db\ntbl = db.create_table(\n    \"my_table_custom_schema\", data, schema=custom_schema, mode=\"overwrite\"\n)\n";
 
 export const PyCreateTableFromArrow = "import numpy as np\nimport pyarrow as pa\n\ndim = 16\ntotal = 2\nschema = pa.schema(\n    [pa.field(\"vector\", pa.list_(pa.float16(), dim)), pa.field(\"text\", pa.string())]\n)\ndata = pa.Table.from_arrays(\n    [\n        pa.array(\n            [np.random.randn(dim).astype(np.float16) for _ in range(total)],\n            pa.list_(pa.float16(), dim),\n        ),\n        pa.array([\"foo\", \"bar\"]),\n    ],\n    [\"vector\", \"text\"],\n)\ndb = tmp_db\ntbl = db.create_table(\"f16_tbl\", data, schema=schema, mode=\"overwrite\")\n";
@@ -116,6 +118,8 @@ export const PyVersioningListAllVersions = "versions = table.list_versions()\nfo
 
 export const PyVersioningRollback = "table.restore(version_after_mod)\nversions = table.list_versions()\nversion_count_after_rollback = len(versions)\nprint(f\"Total number of versions after rollback: {version_count_after_rollback}\")\n";
 
+export const PyVersioningTags = "# Create a tag pointing at a specific version\ntable.tags.create(\"baseline\", 1)\ntable.tags.create(\"with-edits\", table.version)\n\n# List all tags on this table\nprint(table.tags.list())\n\n# Look up the version a tag points at\nprint(table.tags.get_version(\"baseline\"))\n\n# Move an existing tag to a different version\ntable.tags.update(\"baseline\", 2)\n\n# Check out a version by tag name\ntable.checkout(\"baseline\")\nprint(table.version)\n\n# Delete a tag (does not delete the underlying version)\ntable.tags.delete(\"with-edits\")\n\n# Return to the latest version\ntable.checkout_latest()\n";
+
 export const PyVersioningUpdateData = "table.update(where=\"author='Richard'\", values={\"author\": \"Richard Daniel Sanchez\"})\nrows_after_update = table.count_rows(\"author = 'Richard Daniel Sanchez'\")\nprint(f\"Rows updated to Richard Daniel Sanchez: {rows_after_update}\")\n";
 
 export const TsAddColumnsCalculated = "// Add a discounted price column (10% discount)\nawait schemaAddTable.addColumns([\n  {\n    name: \"discounted_price\",\n    valueSql: \"cast((price * 0.9) as float)\",\n  },\n]);\n";
@@ -144,6 +148,8 @@ export const TsConsistencyStrong = "const strongWriterDb = await lancedb.connect
 
 export const TsCreateEmptyTable = "const emptySchema = new arrow.Schema([\n  new arrow.Field(\n    \"vector\",\n    new arrow.FixedSizeList(\n      2,\n      new arrow.Field(\"item\", new arrow.Float32(), true),\n    ),\n  ),\n  new arrow.Field(\"item\", new arrow.Utf8()),\n  new arrow.Field(\"price\", new arrow.Float32()),\n]);\nconst emptyTable = await db.createEmptyTable(\n  \"test_empty_table\",\n  emptySchema,\n  {\n    mode: \"overwrite\",\n  },\n);\n";
 
+export const TsCreateTableConflictHandling = "// Idempotent open: reuse the existing table if it exists.\n// The provided data is ignored; the schema is validated against the\n// existing table and a mismatch raises an error.\nlet conflictTable = await db.createTable(\"conflict_table\", data, {\n  existOk: true,\n});\n\n// Overwrite: drop the existing table and create a new one with the\n// provided data. This permanently discards the old table's data.\nconflictTable = await db.createTable(\"conflict_table\", data, {\n  mode: \"overwrite\",\n});\n";
+
 export const TsCreateTableCustomSchema = "const customSchema = new arrow.Schema([\n  new arrow.Field(\n    \"vector\",\n    new arrow.FixedSizeList(\n      4,\n      new arrow.Field(\"item\", new arrow.Float32(), true),\n    ),\n  ),\n  new arrow.Field(\"lat\", new arrow.Float32()),\n  new arrow.Field(\"long\", new arrow.Float32()),\n]);\n\nconst customSchemaData = lancedb.makeArrowTable(\n  [\n    { vector: [1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4], lat: 45.5, long: -122.7 },\n    { vector: [0.2, 1.8, 0.4, 3.6], lat: 40.1, long: -74.1 },\n  ],\n  { schema: customSchema },\n);\nconst customSchemaTable = await db.createTable(\n  \"my_table_custom_schema\",\n  customSchemaData,\n  { mode: \"overwrite\" },\n);\n";
 
 export const TsCreateTableFromArrow = "const arrowSchema = new arrow.Schema([\n  new arrow.Field(\n    \"vector\",\n    new arrow.FixedSizeList(\n      16,\n      new arrow.Field(\"item\", new arrow.Float32(), true),\n    ),\n  ),\n  new arrow.Field(\"text\", new arrow.Utf8()),\n]);\nconst arrowData = lancedb.makeArrowTable(\n  [\n    { vector: Array(16).fill(0.1), text: \"foo\" },\n    { vector: Array(16).fill(0.2), text: \"bar\" },\n  ],\n  { schema: arrowSchema },\n);\nconst arrowTable = await db.createTable(\"f32_tbl\", arrowData, {\n  mode: \"overwrite\",\n});\n";
@@ -206,6 +212,8 @@ export const TsVersioningListAllVersions = "const allVersions = await table.list
 
 export const TsVersioningRollback = "await table.checkout(versionAfterMod);\nawait table.restore();\nconst versionsAfterRollback = await table.listVersions();\nconst versionCountAfterRollback = versionsAfterRollback.length;\nconsole.log(\n  `Total number of versions after rollback: ${versionCountAfterRollback}`,\n);\n";
 
+export const TsVersioningTags = "const tags = await tagsTable.tags();\n\n// Create a tag pointing at a specific version\nawait tags.create(\"baseline\", 1);\nawait tags.create(\"with-edits\", await tagsTable.version());\n\n// List all tags on this table\nconsole.log(await tags.list());\n\n// Look up the version a tag points at\nconsole.log(await tags.getVersion(\"baseline\"));\n\n// Move an existing tag to a different version\nawait tags.update(\"baseline\", 2);\n\n// Check out a version by tag name\nawait tagsTable.checkout(\"baseline\");\nconsole.log(await tagsTable.version());\n\n// Delete a tag (does not delete the underlying version)\nawait tags.delete(\"with-edits\");\n\n// Return to the latest version\nawait tagsTable.checkoutLatest();\n";
+
 export const TsVersioningUpdateData = "await table.update({\n  where: \"author = 'Richard'\",\n  values: { author: \"Richard Daniel Sanchez\" },\n});\nconst rowsAfterUpdate = await table.countRows(\n  \"author = 'Richard Daniel Sanchez'\",\n);\nconsole.log(`Rows updated to Richard Daniel Sanchez: ${rowsAfterUpdate}`);\n";
 
 export const RsAddColumnsCalculated = "// Add a discounted price column (10% discount)\nschema_add_table\n    .add_columns(\n        NewColumnTransform::SqlExpressions(vec![(\n            \"discounted_price\".to_string(),\n            \"cast((price * 0.9) as float)\".to_string(),\n        )]),\n        None,\n    )\n    .await\n    .unwrap();\n";
@@ -234,6 +242,8 @@ export const RsConsistencyStrong = "let strong_writer_db = connect(&db_uri).exec
 
 export const RsCreateEmptyTable = "let empty_schema = Arc::new(Schema::new(vec![\n    Field::new(\n        \"vector\",\n        DataType::FixedSizeList(Arc::new(Field::new(\"item\", DataType::Float32, true)), 2),\n        false,\n    ),\n    Field::new(\"item\", DataType::Utf8, false),\n    Field::new(\"price\", DataType::Float32, false),\n]));\nlet empty_table = db\n    .create_empty_table(\"test_empty_table\", empty_schema)\n    .mode(CreateTableMode::Overwrite)\n    .execute()\n    .await\n    .unwrap();\n";
 
+export const RsCreateTableConflictHandling = "// Idempotent open: reuse the existing table if it exists.\n// The provided data is ignored; the schema is validated against the\n// existing table and a mismatch raises an error.\nlet _conflict_table = db\n    .create_table(\"conflict_table\", exist_ok_reader)\n    .mode(CreateTableMode::exist_ok(|req| req))\n    .execute()\n    .await\n    .unwrap();\n\n// Overwrite: drop the existing table and create a new one with the\n// provided data. This permanently discards the old table's data.\nlet conflict_table = db\n    .create_table(\"conflict_table\", overwrite_reader)\n    .mode(CreateTableMode::Overwrite)\n    .execute()\n    .await\n    .unwrap();\n";
+
 export const RsCreateTableCustomSchema = "let custom_schema = Arc::new(Schema::new(vec![\n    Field::new(\n        \"vector\",\n        DataType::FixedSizeList(Arc::new(Field::new(\"item\", DataType::Float32, true)), 4),\n        false,\n    ),\n    Field::new(\"lat\", DataType::Float32, false),\n    Field::new(\"long\", DataType::Float32, false),\n]));\n\nlet custom_batch = RecordBatch::try_new(\n    custom_schema.clone(),\n    vec![\n        Arc::new(\n            FixedSizeListArray::from_iter_primitive::<Float32Type, _, _>(\n                vec![\n                    Some(vec![Some(1.1), Some(1.2), Some(1.3), Some(1.4)]),\n                    Some(vec![Some(0.2), Some(1.8), Some(0.4), Some(3.6)]),\n                ],\n                4,\n            ),\n        ),\n        Arc::new(Float32Array::from(vec![45.5, 40.1])),\n        Arc::new(Float32Array::from(vec![-122.7, -74.1])),\n    ],\n)\n.unwrap();\nlet custom_reader =\n    RecordBatchIterator::new(vec![Ok(custom_batch)].into_iter(), custom_schema.clone());\nlet custom_table = db\n    .create_table(\"my_table_custom_schema\", custom_reader)\n    .mode(CreateTableMode::Overwrite)\n    .execute()\n    .await\n    .unwrap();\n";
 
 export const RsCreateTableFromArrow = "let arrow_schema = Arc::new(Schema::new(vec![\n    Field::new(\n        \"vector\",\n        DataType::FixedSizeList(Arc::new(Field::new(\"item\", DataType::Float32, true)), 16),\n        false,\n    ),\n    Field::new(\"text\", DataType::Utf8, false),\n]));\n\nlet arrow_batch = RecordBatch::try_new(\n    arrow_schema.clone(),\n    vec![\n        Arc::new(\n            FixedSizeListArray::from_iter_primitive::<Float32Type, _, _>(\n                vec![Some(vec![Some(0.1); 16]), Some(vec![Some(0.2); 16])],\n                16,\n            ),\n        ),\n        Arc::new(StringArray::from(vec![\"foo\", \"bar\"])),\n    ],\n)\n.unwrap();\nlet arrow_reader =\n    RecordBatchIterator::new(vec![Ok(arrow_batch)].into_iter(), arrow_schema.clone());\nlet arrow_table = db\n    .create_table(\"arrow_table_example\", arrow_reader)\n    .mode(CreateTableMode::Overwrite)\n    .execute()\n    .await\n    .unwrap();\n";
@@ -300,5 +310,7 @@ export const RsVersioningMakeQuotesReader = "fn make_quotes_reader(rows: Vec<(i6
 
 export const RsVersioningRollback = "table.checkout(version_after_mod).await.unwrap();\ntable.restore().await.unwrap();\nlet versions_after_rollback = table.list_versions().await.unwrap();\nlet version_count_after_rollback = versions_after_rollback.len();\nprintln!(\n    \"Total number of versions after rollback: {}\",\n    version_count_after_rollback\n);\n";
 
+export const RsVersioningTags = "let mut tags = tags_table.tags().await.unwrap();\n\n// Create a tag pointing at a specific version\ntags.create(\"baseline\", 1).await.unwrap();\nlet current_version = tags_table.version().await.unwrap();\ntags.create(\"with-edits\", current_version).await.unwrap();\n\n// List all tags on this table\nlet all_tags = tags.list().await.unwrap();\nprintln!(\"Tags: {:?}\", all_tags);\n\n// Look up the version a tag points at\nlet baseline_version = tags.get_version(\"baseline\").await.unwrap();\nprintln!(\"baseline -> v{}\", baseline_version);\n\n// Move an existing tag to a different version\ntags.update(\"baseline\", 2).await.unwrap();\n\n// Check out a version by tag name (separate method in Rust)\ntags_table.checkout_tag(\"baseline\").await.unwrap();\nprintln!(\"Current version: {}\", tags_table.version().await.unwrap());\n\n// Delete a tag (does not delete the underlying version)\ntags.delete(\"with-edits\").await.unwrap();\n\n// Return to the latest version\ntags_table.checkout_latest().await.unwrap();\n";
+
 export const RsVersioningUpdateData = "table\n    .update()\n    .only_if(\"author = 'Richard'\")\n    .column(\"author\", \"'Richard Daniel Sanchez'\")\n    .execute()\n    .await\n    .unwrap();\nlet rows_after_update = table\n    .count_rows(Some(\"author = 'Richard Daniel Sanchez'\".to_string()))\n    .await\n    .unwrap();\nprintln!(\n    \"Rows updated to Richard Daniel Sanchez: {}\",\n    rows_after_update\n);\n";
 
diff --git a/docs/tables/create.mdx b/docs/tables/create.mdx
@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@ import {
     PyCreateTableFromDicts as CreateTableFromDicts,
     TsCreateTableFromDicts as TsCreateTableFromDicts,
     RsCreateTableFromDicts as RsCreateTableFromDicts,
+    PyCreateTableConflictHandling as CreateTableConflictHandling,
+    TsCreateTableConflictHandling as TsCreateTableConflictHandling,
+    RsCreateTableConflictHandling as RsCreateTableConflictHandling,
     PyCreateTableFromPandas as CreateTableFromPandas,
     PyCreateTableCustomSchema as CreateTableCustomSchema,
     TsCreateTableCustomSchema as TsCreateTableCustomSchema,
@@ -82,6 +85,39 @@ support lists/arrays of dictionaries, while the Rust SDK supports lists of struc
     </CodeBlock>
 </CodeGroup>
 
+### Handle existing tables
+
+By default, `create_table` raises an error if a table with the same name already exists.
+You can change this behavior with two parameters that resolve the conflict in different ways:
+
+- **Idempotent open**: return the existing table without modifying it. Use when your
+  code may run more than once (notebooks, retries, init scripts) and you want to reuse
+  the table on subsequent runs. The provided data is ignored, but the schema is
+  validated against the existing table and a mismatch raises an error.
+- **Overwrite**: drop the existing table and create a new one with the provided data.
+  Use this for test fixtures or when you intentionally want to replace prior contents.
+  This permanently discards the old table's data.
+
+<CodeGroup>
+    <CodeBlock filename="Python" language="Python" icon="python">
+    {CreateTableConflictHandling}
+    </CodeBlock>
+
+    <CodeBlock filename="TypeScript" language="TypeScript" icon="square-js">
+    {TsCreateTableConflictHandling}
+    </CodeBlock>
+
+    <CodeBlock filename="Rust" language="Rust" icon="rust">
+    {RsCreateTableConflictHandling}
+    </CodeBlock>
+</CodeGroup>
+
+<Note>
+`exist_ok` / `existOk` does not append the provided data to an existing table. Use
+[`table.add()`](/tables/update) for that. If you need to ensure a table exists *and*
+contains specific rows, prefer the [empty-table-then-add pattern](#create-empty-table).
+</Note>
+
 ### From a custom schema
 
 You can define a custom Arrow schema for the table. This is useful when you want to have more control over the column types and metadata.

diff --git a/docs/tables/versioning.mdx b/docs/tables/versioning.mdx
@@ -32,6 +32,9 @@ import {
     PyVersioningDeleteData as VersioningDeleteData,
     TsVersioningDeleteData as TsVersioningDeleteData,
     RsVersioningDeleteData as RsVersioningDeleteData,
+    PyVersioningTags as VersioningTags,
+    TsVersioningTags as TsVersioningTags,
+    RsVersioningTags as RsVersioningTags,
     RsVersioningMakeQuotesReader as RsVersioningMakeQuotesReader,
 } from '/snippets/tables.mdx';
 
@@ -184,6 +187,37 @@ Now let's restore a captured version snapshot:
     </CodeBlock>
 </CodeGroup>
 
+## Tag-Based Versioning
+
+Numeric table versions like `v3` or `v17` are precise but hard to remember. Tags
+let you attach human-readable labels (e.g., `"prod"`, `"baseline"`,
+`"q3-evaluation"`) to specific versions and check those out by name. They are
+conceptually similar to git tags, and unlike numeric versions, **tagged versions
+are preserved when old versions are pruned** (see the cleanup note at the bottom
+of this page).
+
+The tags API supports the standard CRUD operations — create, list, update, delete —
+plus checking out by tag name.
+
+<CodeGroup>
+    <CodeBlock filename="Python" language="Python" icon="python">
+    {VersioningTags}
+    </CodeBlock>
+
+    <CodeBlock filename="TypeScript" language="TypeScript" icon="square-js">
+    {TsVersioningTags}
+    </CodeBlock>
+
+    <CodeBlock filename="Rust" language="Rust" icon="rust">
+    {RsVersioningTags}
+    </CodeBlock>
+</CodeGroup>
+
+<Note>
+Deleting a tag only removes the label, not the version it points to. After
+deletion, the underlying table version becomes eligible for cleanup again.
+</Note>
+
 ## Delete Data From the Table
 
 Let's demonstrate how deletions also create new versions:
@@ -242,4 +276,8 @@ Read-only and checkout operations shown here (`list_versions`/`listVersions`, `v
 System operations like `optimize()`, index updates, and table compaction also increment table version numbers.
 In LanceDB OSS and Enterprise, `optimize()` can prune older versions based on its retention setting (`cleanup_older_than`, 7 days by default),
 which is when old-version files are removed and disk space is reclaimed.
+
+**Tagged versions are exempt from cleanup.** A version with a tag pointing at it is
+retained regardless of age, and its files are not removed by `optimize()`. To make
+a tagged version eligible for pruning, [delete the tag](#tag-based-versioning) first.
 </Note>