---
title: What's a query pipeline?
slug: '1611'
canonical_url: https://docs.coveo.com/en/1611/
collection: tune-relevance
source_format: adoc
---
# What's a query pipeline?
A [query pipeline](https://docs.coveo.com/en/180/) is a set of [rules](https://docs.coveo.com/en/236/) or [model](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1012/) associations you can define to modify [queries](https://docs.coveo.com/en/231/) performed in Coveo-powered [search interfaces](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2741/).

You can [manage query pipelines](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1791/) using the [Coveo Administration Console](https://docs.coveo.com/en/183/).
When you have multiple search interfaces with distinct users and purposes, you can use query pipelines in your [Coveo organization](https://docs.coveo.com/en/185/) to apply different rules or models for each interface.

**Example**

Your customers and partners use your community portal to self-serve and find relevant information, while your support agents use an internal service portal to find relevant public and private [items](https://docs.coveo.com/en/210/).
You can create a separate pipeline for each portal, defining appropriate rules for each search interface audience.

You can also use the query pipeline’s [A/B testing](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3255/) feature to evaluate rule or model changes on a subset of users.

## Query pipeline rules

Query pipeline rules can define the following:

* [Search terms](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3440/)

** [Thesaurus entries](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3405/) - replacing or expanding queries with synonyms.

** [Stop words](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3406/) - ignoring unimportant words in queries.

* [Result rankings](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3234/)

** [Featured results](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3376/) - items appearing at the top of search results when the query meets a specific condition.

** [Ranking expressions](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3375/) - modifying the order of results matching specified expressions and conditions.

* [Groups & campaigns](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3283/) - grouping sets of result ranking rules that apply for specific contexts, audiences, or periods of time.

* [Advanced query pipeline rules](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3409/)

** [Filters](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3410/) - adding hidden query expressions to all queries that go through the query pipeline.

** [Query parameters](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3411/) - overriding search parameter values for every query that goes through the query pipeline.

** [Ranking weights](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3412/) - establishing the impact of ranking factors when establishing the order of results.

** [Triggers](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3413/) - establishing actions to be performed in the user search interface following an event when a condition is met.

## Query pipeline model associations

The following models can be associated to a query pipeline:

* [Relevance Generative Answering (RGA)](https://docs.coveo.com/en/nb6a0104/) - generating answers to complex user queries using [generative AI](https://docs.coveo.com/en/n9e90153/) technology.

* [Semantic Encoder (SE)](https://docs.coveo.com/en/nb8b0088/) - optimizing search results relevance based on semantic similarity using vector-based search.

* [Automatic Relevance Tuning (ART)](https://docs.coveo.com/en/l1ca1038/) - optimizing search results relevance based on user search behavior.

* [Query Suggestions (QS)](https://docs.coveo.com/en/l1mf0321/) and [Predictive Query Suggestion (PQS)](https://docs.coveo.com/en/lcfm0406/) - suggesting queries to users as they type in a search box.

* [Content Recommendation (CR)](https://docs.coveo.com/en/l25f0432/) - predicting and proposing the most relevant content for the current user in the current session.

* [Dynamic Navigation Experience (DNE)](https://docs.coveo.com/en/l1qf4156/) - reordering [facets](https://docs.coveo.com/en/198/) and facet values to place the most relevant at the top.

* [Product Recommendation (PR)](https://docs.coveo.com/en/p1vg0524/) - suggesting relevant products to end users navigating Coveo-powered commerce solutions.

* [Intent-Aware Product Ranking (IAPR)](https://docs.coveo.com/en/na4f0342/) - ranking products on a search results page based on the visitor's shopping intent.

* [Smart Snippets](https://docs.coveo.com/en/l6he0309/) - displaying a snippet of the most relevant result item directly on the results page.

See [Manage models](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1832/).

The features you define in a query pipeline are applied to all queries before they're sent to the index.

## Order of execution

The following diagram illustrates the [order of execution of query pipeline features](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1376/):


![Diagram showing order of execution | Coveo](https://docs.coveo.com/en/assets/images/tune-relevance/order-of-execution-query-pipeline-features.png)

## What's next?

Learn how to [create and use a query pipeline](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1791/).