Knowledge Bases

Give the agent access to your documents and reference data through knowledge bases — it searches and retrieves relevant information automatically.

A Knowledge Base gives the Agent reference material it can look up while doing the work.

This is useful when the Agent should be able to consult maintained documents such as policies, procedures, product information, technical manuals, internal guidance or other reference material.

Reference material, not the whole operation

A Knowledge Base answers questions like:

• what does the policy say?

• which procedure applies here?

• what product information is relevant?

• what guidance should be followed in this case?

It is not a replacement for the systems where changing operational data belongs.

For example, a delivery policy may belong in a Knowledge Base. The current delivery date for a specific order usually belongs in the ERP or another operational system.

The Agent uses relevant material when it needs it

When a Knowledge Base is available to the Agent, it can search the material for information relevant to the task.

That lets the Agent work with more context than would reasonably fit into one set of instructions.

A good Knowledge Base should make it easier to answer and verify a question, not simply give the Agent more documents to read.

Think about authority

Not every document has the same status.

A signed policy, an old presentation, a customer's email and a draft procedure may all contain useful information, but they should not automatically be treated as equally authoritative.

When the distinction matters, the way of working around the Agent should make clear which material is authoritative, which is supporting context and when uncertainty needs a person.

Keep maintained knowledge maintained

Knowledge becomes dangerous when it looks current but is not.

If a Knowledge Base contains information used for operational decisions, make sure the underlying material has a clear owner and is updated when the business rule changes.

Examples include:

• pricing or commercial policies;

• product specifications;

• regulatory guidance;

• standard operating procedures;

• customer or supplier instructions;

• internal decision guidance.

Knowledge Base or something else?

Use a Knowledge Base when the Agent needs to retrieve information from maintained reference material.

Use a Data Table when the information is fundamentally structured and maintained as rows and fields.

Use a Skill when the Agent needs a reusable way of working, including instructions about how to use knowledge and other tools.

Use the underlying business system when the information is an operational record that must stay exact and current there.

If you are responsible for creating or maintaining Knowledge Bases, see Knowledge Bases under Build and improve → Configure Agents.