Share via

Is Azure Agentic Search and Agentic RAG framework is same?

Mamlesh VA 20 Reputation points
2025-07-29T11:59:19.11+00:00

I have been using Azure Search for RAG retrieval, and I recently came across Agentic Search. I tried it out, and it’s working really well the way it splits complex questions and queries multiple indexes simultaneously is impressive.

Currently, the Agentic RAG framework is gaining a lot of attention. I just want to clarify: are Agentic Search and Agentic RAG the same thing, or are they two different concepts?

Azure AI Search
Azure AI Search
An Azure search service with built-in artificial intelligence capabilities that enrich information to help identify and explore relevant content at scale.

1 answer

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Divyesh Govaerdhanan 8,345 Reputation points
    2025-07-29T18:25:06.2966667+00:00

    Hello,Welcome to Microsoft Q&A,

    Agentic Search and the Agentic RAG framework are closely related but not the same. They both belong to a broader Agentic architecture pattern, but serve different roles in Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG).

    Agentic Search (Azure):

    A capability in Azure AI Search that lets LLMs break down complex questions, search across multiple indexes or data sources, and reason through sub-queries autonomously.

    Agentic RAG Framework:

    A broader orchestration pattern in RAG systems where agents (like LangChain Agents or Azure OpenAI Assistants) handle not just retrieval but multi-step reasoning, tool invocation (search, math, APIs), and context synthesis to answer user questions.

    https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/search/search-get-started-agentic-retrieval?pivots=programming-language-csharp

    https://medium.com/data-science-collective/step-by-step-guide-on-building-agentic-rag-with-microsoft-semantic-kernel-and-azure-ai-search-3dcee5bf38ba

    Please Upvote and accept the answer if it helps!!

    0 comments

Your answer

Answers can be marked as Accepted Answers by the question author, which helps users to know the answer solved the author's problem.