Module 3 · Building Reusable Assistants · 20 min
Knowledge Files: Feeding Your Custom Assistant Real Documents
Is lesson ke baad tum
Supply a current, scoped reference and check answers against it. Test missing facts and changed facts; a file upload alone does not establish reliability.
In this lesson
Prepare a small reference document and check whether an assistant answers from it. You will test a known fact, missing information, and an updated fact. Use the workspace from Lesson 3.2, or paste the document into a normal chat; uploading is optional.
A Reference Is Not a Guarantee
A knowledge file supplies material an assistant can consult. It does not guarantee every passage will be used, make the content true, or establish lasting memory of customer conversations.
Make the document current, limited to the task, and easy to inspect. Include an owner, version, and clear sections. Ask the assistant to identify the supporting section so you can check its answer. A citation is useful only when the cited text actually supports the claim.
Worked Example
Save or paste this fictional reference:
FILENAME: wallet-support-v1.txt
Owner: Fictional shop practice exercise
Status: Sample data, not a real shop policy
Version: 1
PRODUCT
Wallet W1: PKR 3,500. Full-grain leather.
RETURNS
Unused wallets may be returned within seven days of delivery.
Who pays return postage: not specified.
DELIVERY
No delivery estimate has been supplied.Pair it with this instruction:
Answer from the supplied reference only. Name the supporting section.
If the answer is missing or conflicting, say what is missing and
refer the question to the shop owner. Do not make up an exception.For “What does W1 cost?”, an acceptable illustrative answer is “PKR 3,500, from PRODUCT.” For “Do I get free return postage?”, the answer should say the reference does not specify who pays. An answer that offers free postage has crossed from retrieval into invention.
A reference should contain only approved material needed for the task. Customer identities and private financial records are unnecessary for these questions.
Do This Now
Use the sample file and instruction to answer the price and postage questions. Without a tool, write the expected answers and source sections.
Create version 2 by changing only the price to PKR 3,800. Mark version 1 superseded and remove it from the active reference set where possible.
Predict which answer should change, then ask both questions again.
Save the two results and check their cited sections.
Check your work: The price answer should change to PKR 3,800. Return postage should remain unspecified. If an answer still says PKR 3,500, inspect which version was available and supplied; do not assume uploading a new file automatically replaced the old one.
For a pasted-source workflow, start a fresh conversation with version 2 and the same instruction. For a saved workspace, confirm which reference is active and retest. Product features differ, so use the actual access observed in Lesson 3.2.
Maintain the Source Before the Assistant
When a real policy changes, update and approve the source first. Then update the assistant's reference and rerun the affected checks before using its answers. Keep one current version and a clear owner; archive older evidence separately when retention requirements call for it.
Structured filenames help people manage sources, but there is no universal rule that several small files always retrieve better than one. Test the questions your assistant actually needs to answer.
Optional extension: Add a second sample file with a conflicting price. The desired response identifies the conflict and asks which source is authoritative; it should not silently choose a convenient number.
Common Mistakes
The answer cites PRODUCT but invents free postage
Read the section, not just the citation label.
Old and new prices are both active
Resolve the source version before trusting another answer.
A missing policy becomes a guessed policy
Keep the missing information explicit and escalate.
Completion Rubric
Sources
2 reference sources. Open the source to check the details.
Practice quiz
Check yourself
4 questions · practise what you just learned
1 / 4 · sequence
Version 2 changes the wallet price from PKR 3,500 to PKR 3,800 and changes nothing else. Which retest result is expected?
Apna kaam check karo.
Practice complete ki? Result ko example aur lesson ke checks se compare karo.
This is your own completion record, not a graded assessment.