What the documents look like
Near-expiry markdown handling concerns the remaining sellable life of shelf inventory. Work is organised around batches and time windows. It does not involve weighing individual items at a sorting station. The main records come from POS stock-age data, store inspection rounds, ERP inventory, and quality inspection records. The daily documents include near-expiry lists, markdown approvals, damage write-off forms, and promotional price tags. These materials are updated daily or per shift.
Three characteristics shape order fulfilment and after-sales answers. First, a markdown approval and a damage write-off form determine whether a batch may continue selling in a given window. A citation must trace back to a specific document, or the reply about a sold item has no basis. Second, a promotional price tag and a near-expiry list carry a time range. The markdown information on the tag holds only inside the marked window. Outside that window it loses support. Third, isolating unsellable goods is a store-floor action. A retrieval result reflects only what has been entered into the system. It does not replace the on-site state.
Constraints at the citation tracing step
The knowledge base search node selects one or more knowledge bases that share the same vector model, for vector search. Its output is a citation array, and the length may be zero. When the array is empty, the output branch still runs through.
After citation content passes to the answering step, each reply sentence must be checked against the cited source text. The minimum relevance value is a filter threshold. It takes effect only in semantic retrieval or when result reranking is used. It does not carry an authorization or entity-isolation function. A retrieval action by itself does not constitute authorization.
Hypothetical drill sample. The original text of an early-shift inspection record at a fresh-produce store on 12 March 2026 reads: "12 March, 08:20 inspection. Batch L260310 of pasteurised fresh milk in cold cabinet zone A has 2 days of shelf life remaining, entered on the near-expiry list. Markdown approval number ZK-0312-07, approval status approved, execution window 12 March 09:00 to 12 March 20:00." The promotional price tag registered the same day reads: "Batch L260310, discounted price 6.5 yuan, effective window 12 March 09:00 to 20:00." A draft sentence to be judged reads: "A customer purchasing batch L260310 pasteurised fresh milk on 13 March may settle at the discounted price of 6.5 yuan." The subject of this draft sentence is the store, the object is batch L260310, the status is markdown approval approved, and the effective range is 12 March 09:00 to 20:00.
Configuration and implementation checks
The table below lists, for the sample above, the documented settings or implementation checks directly relevant to this feature and this task.
| Configuration or check item | Value or check method on this page | Basis and note |
|---|---|---|
| Linked knowledge bases | Link only knowledge bases that share the same vector model | The document states that knowledge bases with the same vector model may be selected for vector search |
| Search mode | For identifier-type questions, start with full-text retrieval or hybrid retrieval | The document states that full-text retrieval suits exact queries such as numbers, models, and proper nouns |
| Minimum relevance | A hypothetical trial starting value of 0.4 for this page, compared against whether the sample citation is retained | This is a hypothetical starting value, not an official default; the document states it takes effect only in semantic retrieval or result reranking |
| Citation limit | A hypothetical trial starting value of 800 tokens for this page, compared against the citation length the answer needs | This is a hypothetical starting value, not an official default; the document states the citation limit is controlled by tokens |
| Citation output handoff | Check whether the citation array is passed to the answering step and compared item by item | The document states the output is an array whose length may be zero, and an empty array still runs the branch through |
| Material timeline check | Test citation sources against the current version and a historical version of the document | The document states that search parameters and material versions must be checked, and any adopted citation still requires review against the effective version |
Three common errors
- Treating a retrieval hit as an authorization basis. The input is the retrieval result for batch L260310. If a reply states that a markdown settlement is available on 13 March, the comparison object is the execution window 12 March 09:00 to 20:00 recorded on approval ZK-0312-07. The draft sentence date falls outside that window. The observable result is that the reply is unsupported, and the evidence gap must be recorded.
- Treating minimum relevance as an entity or permission filter. The input is a query for the same batch. If lowering relevance is assumed to pull in records from other stores or other batches, the comparison object is the retrieval scope and the list of linked knowledge bases. The document does not state that relevance performs an isolation function. The observable result is only that relevance changes which citations are retained. A conclusion about unauthorized access or missed recall cannot be drawn.
- Writing a pending-review status as approved. The input is markdown approval number ZK-0312-07. If the material shows only pending review, the comparison object is the approval status field of the same document. Pending review and approved are mutually exclusive values of the same field. The observable result is that the document has not yet obtained approval, and a markdown settlement cannot be executed on that basis.
How to verify the setup
- Input the inspection record text above together with the draft sentence, and compare the draft sentence date against the execution window on the approval. The condition is met when the draft sentence date falls inside the execution window and the cited source text can be matched item by item. When the date falls outside the window, record it as unsupported and keep the gap.
- Input a paper case in which the citation content is an empty array, and compare the design of the downstream answering step. The condition is met when the downstream step can accept an empty citation and produce a reply that makes no source claim. This empty array is a paper input. It does not mean that any retrieval rule necessarily returns an empty result.
- Input a list of two knowledge bases with different vector model identifiers, and compare their vector model identifiers. The condition is met when those with different identifiers are excluded from linking and the actual observation is recorded. Only those with the same identifier proceed to further checks. Cross-model retrieval is not executed to compare recall differences.
After these checks, the operational handover must make clear which state each retrieval result, form entry, and approval document is in. A markdown that has not been approved, a termination that has not been signed, and a contract that has not taken effect are not cited as executed facts.