What the documents look like
Central procurement and distribution records come from ERP purchasing, WMS, store POS, and supplier delivery data. The documents handled day to day include centralized procurement contracts, replenishment plans, distribution orders, and store requisition forms. When product and marketing copy is drafted against these materials, the objects to verify are head-office procurement and distribution records; store display falls outside this page. Materials update daily and weekly, so quantities, delivery dates, and applicable scope cited in copy must correspond to the version of the referenced material.
A citation tracing step therefore works on a narrow question: does a proposed sentence in the copy match what a specific document actually states? The answer depends on the identity of the material, the object described, the effective scope, and the date. A contract that names a distribution center and a start date supports a sentence about that center and that date. A replenishment plan that lists delivery waves and store requisition numbers does not, by itself, state any external publicity wording. That gap stays a gap.
Constraints at the citation tracing step
The knowledge base search node can select one or more knowledge bases that share the same vector model. Citation content is output as an array, and its length may be zero; an empty array does not mean the workflow has errored or terminated. The minimum relevance value applies only during semantic retrieval or when result reranking is used, and it is a filtering threshold, not a permission or entity isolation mechanism. Hybrid retrieval merges multiple result paths through RRF. Reranking requires a model and must be enabled according to settings. Image retrieval requires image input and the corresponding model capability. Retrieval output must be passed to the answering stage, where the answer is checked line by line against the cited source text.
A hypothetical paper exercise sample: the proposed sentence is "This batch of centrally procured goods will be supplied uniformly from the East China distribution center starting 1 March 2025." The two source sentences for comparison are: "Centralized procurement contract A-2025-03 states that the East China distribution center will handle distribution of this batch of goods starting 1 March 2025." and "Replenishment plan P-0301 lists the distribution waves and store requisition numbers for this batch; it does not state any external publicity wording." The comparison input is the two source sentences and the proposed sentence. Compare the subject, the object, the start date, and the distribution scope. The material does not state publicity authorization; that part remains an evidence gap.
Configuration and implementation checks
| Configuration item | Hypothetical starting point for this exercise | Reason and comparison method |
|---|---|---|
| Linked knowledge bases | Select the centralized procurement contract base and the distribution order base that share the same vector model | Only bases with the same vector model can be linked together; check identifiers first and exclude those that do not match |
| Search mode | Hybrid retrieval | Number and date queries rely on full-text recall; semantic recall supplements natural-language phrasing |
| Citation limit | Set to 2000 tokens | Hypothetical starting point; compare against the length of the cited passage needed by the proposed sentence and adjust |
| Minimum relevance | Set to 0.4 | Hypothetical starting point; applies only during semantic retrieval or reranking; compare against recall result scores |
| Result reranking | Enabled, invoking ReRank according to settings | Rerank scores are used for filtering; confirm the model is available |
| Citation output handling | Pass the citation array to the answering node | Handle zero-length arrays as empty; check whether the downstream path still runs |
Three common errors
- Treating a retrieval hit as authorization evidence. Observable error: inferring from "the centralized procurement contract was retrieved" that the proposed sentence has publicity authorization. Check: input the contract source text and the proposed sentence, compare whether publicity wording is stated, and record it as pending verification when the material does not state it.
- Using relevance filtering as a substitute for permission or entity isolation. Observable error: assuming that raising the minimum relevance value excludes unrelated store records. Check: verify the retrieval scope and knowledge base identifiers, and confirm that filtering acts only on scores.
- Forcing knowledge bases with different vector models into the same link. Observable error: combining two materials with different vector models into one search node. Check: verify the vector model identifier of each base, exclude those that do not match, and record the actual observation.
How to verify the setup
- Input the contract source text, the replenishment plan source text, and the proposed sentence from the hypothetical sample. Compare the four fields: subject, object, start date, and distribution scope. Expected observation: all four fields have corresponding wording in the source text, and the publicity authorization field shows as not stated.
- Input a clearly paper-based empty citation array []. Compare against the downstream answering node design. Expected observation: when citation length is zero, the path still runs, and no fabricated source appears.
- Input two knowledge base configurations with different vector model identifiers. Compare against the selectable link list. Expected observation: the non-matching base is excluded, no cross-model retrieval is performed to compare missed recalls, and only the identifier check result is recorded.
This page addresses only central chain procurement, product and marketing copy drafting, and citation tracing. Whether a specific publicity sentence in product copy is supported by the materials cannot be turned into an enterprise identity certification tutorial. The minimum relevance value and semantic recall do not carry permission or entity isolation duties. The same-vector-model requirement for linked knowledge bases does not extend to business registration sites or other external systems. No system error or automatic business action is asserted beyond what the source documents describe. RRF is a merge process for hybrid results, not a switch to be enabled. Thinking budget is a reasoning budget and must not be repurposed as a citation token limit. Retrieval checks describe observations and failure branches; they do not guarantee a first-hit result, full recall, or that an unrelated query returns empty. Cross-model bases cannot be linked together; verify identifiers first, exclude non-matching ones, and record the actual observation rather than inventing runtime outcomes. A judgment requires the same subject, the same period, and the same field; only explicitly mutually exclusive values in the same field count as a contradiction. Not stated, or evidence from a related stage only, counts as unsupported or pending verification, not as a negation or conflict. Pending review does not prove a lack of operating permission. Signing, reaching cooperation, and contract effectiveness are three distinct facts. A quotation validity period does not indicate a supply period. Do not fabricate authorization or effectiveness clauses to obtain a definite answer; keep the evidence gap explicit. Materials needed for verification must sit within an accessible target retrieval scope or a clearly defined manual input; when missing, record the gap.