What the documents look like
Platform multi-store matrix management works from store authorization lists, price control tables, cross-territory complaint forms and monthly sales reports. These materials come from separate sources: each platform's merchant back office, ERP channel prices, brand anti-counterfeit systems and dealer reports. One authorization relationship can appear in both the authorization list and the monthly sales report, while the two materials may differ in period, subject and field definitions. The core work of contract and transaction material comparison is making every citation in an answer point back to a specific position in the source text, so a person can review authorization status, price terms and complaint handling progress.
Constraints at the citation tracing step
The knowledge base search node can select one or more knowledge bases that share the same vector model, and it outputs citations as an array whose length may be zero. An empty array means the search path ran but returned no content; downstream design must accept this case and cannot treat it as proof that the material does not exist. After retrieval results reach the answering step, checking each answer sentence against the cited source text is a manual action. Retrieval itself does not complete an authorization judgment and does not write back to any business system.
Hypothetical paper exercise sample: the source material reads "Authorization List version 7 states that subject A authorizes counterparty B to open a store on Platform A, with an authorization period from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025" and "Monthly Sales Report for June 2025 states that counterparty B's sales on Platform A were 120,000 yuan." The draft sentence to be judged is "Counterparty B was within a valid authorization period on Platform A in June 2025." This sentence requires checking the authorization period and the report month together. The materials do not state the status of counterparty B's other stores outside Platform A, so that part remains unsupported.
Configuration and implementation checks
| Configuration or check item | Hypothetical starting point for this exercise | Reason for the choice and comparison method |
|---|---|---|
| Associated knowledge bases | Authorization list base and monthly sales report base | Both bases must use the same vector model; verify the identifier before deciding whether to associate them together |
| Search mode | Hybrid search | Authorization numbers and store names are exact queries, while semantic recall covers natural language phrasing |
| Citation limit | A token value set for this exercise | Compare against the actual length of candidate content and observe whether citations are truncated |
| Minimum relevance | A 0-1 value set for this exercise | Takes effect only in semantic search or with result reranking; compare against the rerank score |
| Result reranking | Enabled as configured | Requires a rerank model; the rerank score is 0-1 and can be used for filtering |
| Citation output handling | Check whether the output array is passed to the answering step | Verify each answer sentence against the source text; accept an empty array as zero length |
Three common errors
- Treating retrieval output as an authorization conclusion. Retrieval returns a citation array and does not judge whether the authorization between subject A and counterparty B is valid; authorization status requires manual confirmation against the authorization list text.
- Associating knowledge bases that use different vector models. The documentation requires the same vector model before bases can be associated together; a base whose identifier does not match should be excluded and recorded, and cross-model retrieval should not be run to compare results.
- Writing a pending review state as already effective. The draft sentence involves an authorization period and a report month, and the parts the materials do not state remain unsupported. Clauses cannot be invented to obtain a definite answer.
How to verify the setup
- Input the two source sentences and the draft sentence from the hypothetical sample, and compare whether the authorization period and the report month fall within the same period, the same subject and the same platform field. The condition is satisfied when the answer can point back to the source position for each sentence and does not write unsupported parts as a denial or a conflict.
- Input an explicitly paper-constructed empty citation array, and compare whether the downstream node accepts it as zero length and continues execution. The condition is satisfied when the path is not interrupted and no inference is drawn that the material does not exist.
- Input the identifier information of the authorization list base and the monthly sales report base, and compare whether the two vector model identifiers match. The condition is satisfied when a mismatched base is excluded and the actual observation is recorded.