Getting Started with Knowledge Bases

January 10, 2025   Features   knowledge-base   vector-store   RAG

Knowledge Bases in Blast Office allow you to create custom data sources that the AI can reference during conversations. This is known as retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).

What is a Knowledge Base?

A Knowledge Base is a collection of documents that are indexed and searchable by the AI. When you ask a question, the AI can search your Knowledge Base to find relevant information and ground its answers in your specific data.

Creating a Knowledge Base

  1. Navigate to Knowledge Bases in the sidebar
  2. Click New Knowledge Base
  3. Give it a descriptive name

Adding Documents

Add documents to your Knowledge Base by:

  1. Clicking Add Documents in the Knowledge Base view
  2. Selecting files from your computer
  3. The files will be processed and indexed automatically

Supported file formats include text, Markdown, PDF, and other common document formats.

Querying with AI

Once your Knowledge Base is populated, the AI can reference it during chat:

  1. Start a new chat or use an existing one
  2. Select your Knowledge Base as a context source
  3. Ask questions — the AI will search the Knowledge Base and cite relevant documents in its answers

Use Cases

  • Company documentation: Index your internal docs so the AI can answer questions about policies, procedures, and products
  • Research library: Build a collection of papers and articles for AI-assisted literature review
  • Project files: Index project documentation to help with planning, writing, and decision-making
  • Personal notes: Make your notes searchable and queryable with AI assistance