Is AI learning our papers?
In professional implementation, it is necessary to clearly distinguish the use of documents as a context from model training. In RAG architecture documents are indexed, divided into fragments and used to search for answers, but this does not necessarily mean training a public model on company data. The model receives selected fragments as a context of inquiry and prepares an answer on this basis. The decision on where the data are processed, how they are stored and whether they can be used for training depends on the chosen supplier, configuration and safety requirements of the company.
Does the data leave the company?
It depends on the architecture. You can design a cloud, hybrid or private solution. In the cloud variant some of the queries can be processed by external APIs, but you still need to limit the data range, use sensitive information masking and control retention. In the private option or on-premise most of the processing can work in the client environment. Before implementation, you need to set legal, technical and organizational requirements and check which documents can be indexed.
Does the MAG knowledge base work on-premise?
Yes, but such a variant requires more infrastructure work. On-premise can include local database, local vector index, private API, own application server, monitoring, backup and AI model run locally or in private cloud. This model makes sense with high security requirements, sensitive data or industry restrictions. However, you need to take into account the cost of maintaining, updating, scaling, testing, GPU resources or integration with a private AI provider.
What does document indexing look like?
Indexing starts with downloading the document from a source, for example SharePoint, OneDrive, Google Drive, folder or API. Then the system pulls out text, executes OCR, if the document is a scan, divides the content into fragments, adds metadata and creates embeddingi. Fragments go to the vector database together with information about source, version, owner and permissions. After changing the document, the index should be updated to build on the latest content.
Does AI only know our documents?
In a well-designed response system should be limited to approved corporate sources or clearly means that there is no document confirming the answer. The language model may have general knowledge, but the system rules should force answers based on documents, procedures and company instructions. If there is no source, the AI should say that no information has been found, and suggest contact with the process owner or report a gap in the knowledge base.
What does the update of the knowledge base look like?
The system should detect changes in documents, delete old versions from the index or mark them as outdated, create new embeddings and update metadata. It is important to indicate the owner of the document and the review date. Thus, the administrator sees which sources are active, which require updates and which responses could be used by the previous version of the document.
Does the system support PDF?
Yes. PDFs are one of the typical sources of knowledge in companies, but you have to distinguish PDF with a text layer from a scan. If the file has text, the system can download and divide it into fragments. If it is a scan, you need OCR. OCR quality depends on the quality of the scan, layout of the document, tables, stamps, signatures and language. Therefore, it is worth testing a representative sample of documents before implementation to check which PDFs are suitable for automatic indexing.
Does the rag work with SharePoint?
Yes. SharePoint is one of the most common sources of documents for companies using Microsoft 365. Integration usually requires Microsoft Graph API, Entra ID applications, appropriate permissions and arrangements which document libraries are to be indexed. Key is to retain permissions: the user should only receive a response from documents to which he has access. Therefore, implementation should include synchronization of sources, metadata, versions and access control.
Can the knowledge base work in Teams?
Yes. Teams can be an interface for asking questions, but it is often worth connecting it to the web application and administrator panel. The employee can ask bot in Teams, and the system responds on the basis of the document index and shows the sources. However, the administrator needs a place to manage sources, feedback, documents to review and logs. Teams is therefore a great channel of use, but does not replace the entire operating layer of the RAG.
Can access to documents be restricted?
Yes, and this is one of the most important elements of implementation. The system should take into account roles, groups, departments, document permissions and levels of confidentiality. The AI reply cannot reveal fragments of a document that you should not see. In practice, this means filtering the search results before passing them to the model and logging which sources have been used. Document-level security should be designed from the beginning and not added at the end.
Does the AI correspond with the sources?
Yes, this is one of the greatest advantages of the MAG. The answer should include a link to the document, the name of the source, the version or a fragment from which the system was used. This allows the user to check where the information comes from and the administrator can audit the answers. No sources should be treated as a warning signal. Then the system should admit that he did not find a confirmation, instead of generating an answer without the basis in the company documents.
What does the document versioning look like?
The versioning should keep information about the current version of the document, the index date, the owner, the status of the review and the changes in the source. If the document is replaced by a new version, the index should be updated and the older parts should be deleted or marked as archival. This is important especially for ISO procedures, security policies, technical instructions and HR documents where an outdated response may lead to a malfunction.
How to measure ROI from the AI knowledge base?
It is best to measure the time of finding information, number of repetitive questions to experts, onboarding time, number of searches, relevance of answers, number of documents to update and share of answers with sources. It is worth to start by measuring the current process: how much time employees are looking for information, how often they ask others and which departments are most loaded. Only then can you compare the result after MVP. ROI should not be assumed in advance, only measured on data.
How long does it take to implement an internal MAG knowledge base?
Time depends on the number of sources, quality of documents, permission requirements, OCR, number of departments and MVP range. Simple piloting for one department and selected documents is much shorter than the implementation covering many sources, Teams, SSO, document-level security, admin panel and dashboard. The safest way to start is by auditing documents, lists of test questions and MVPs for one process, and only after the tests develop further sources and departments.
Can a knowledge base support Word, Excel and PowerPoint?
Yes, but each format requires a different way of extracting content. Word is usually easy to process, Excel requires the identification of sheets, tables and context data, and PowerPoint often contains shortcut information, graphics and slides. The system should store file metadata and source information so that the answer can be checked. In case of complex files, it is worth to prepare rules which fragments are to be indexed.