What the documents look like
Multi-warehouse allocation and inventory synchronization sit at the order routing stage, where the decision is which warehouse ships an order. The data comes from WMS, OMS, ERP inventory and platform inventory interfaces. Everyday documents include allocation rules, inventory synchronization tables, transfer orders and shortage alerts. After these materials enter a knowledge base, retrieval and recall operate on text fragments covering warehouse priority, sellable inventory definitions, transfer status and shortage handling conditions. Materials update daily or hourly, and retrieval results reflect only the content stored at ingestion time. Retrieval does not carry business authorization.
For procurement and supplier materials, the practical consequence is that a retrieved fragment about a warehouse rule or an inventory figure is evidence of stored text, not evidence of current stock, approval or shipping authority. A search hit on an allocation rule tells the reader that the rule text exists in the knowledge base. It does not confirm that the rule was applied to a specific order, that a transfer request was approved, or that a supplier commitment is in force.
Constraints at the retrieval step
The knowledge base search node can associate one or more knowledge bases that use the same vector model. Knowledge bases using different vector models cannot be associated together. During checking, verify the vector model identifier first and exclude those that do not match. Do not run cross-model retrieval to compare missed recalls.
Search mode can be compared across semantic retrieval, full-text retrieval and hybrid retrieval according to the test question. No single mode is presumed suitable for all materials. The citation limit is measured in tokens. The minimum relevance threshold takes effect only under semantic retrieval or when result reranking is used. Question optimization performs coreference resolution and question expansion; compare the original question with the optimized question and check whether the subject has been altered. Image retrieval requires corresponding image input and model capability. Reranking requires a model and must be enabled according to configuration. The optional paths listed in the overall flow diagram do not mean every request executes all of them. Citation content is output as an array, and its length can be zero; the downstream chain still runs when the result is empty.
Hypothetical exercise sample: the original text of an allocation rule document reads, "Orders in the East China region ship from the Suzhou warehouse by default; when Suzhou sellable inventory falls below the safety value, shipping transfers to the Hangzhou warehouse." A separate inventory synchronization table reads, "Suzhou sellable inventory quantity: 1200 units; synchronization time: March 10, 09:00." The draft sentence to be judged is, "Suzhou inventory is sufficient; this order is confirmed to ship from the Suzhou warehouse." The retrieval input is, "When Suzhou inventory is insufficient, where does shipping occur from?" The check point is that the original text provides only the condition of transfer to Hangzhou when below the safety value. The draft sentence turns a conditional conclusion into a confirmed shipping warehouse, which is unsupported.
Configuration and implementation checks
| Configuration item | Assumed trial starting point | Reason for selection and comparison method |
|---|---|---|
| Associated knowledge bases | Associate only the allocation rule base and inventory synchronization base that share the same vector model | Check the vector model identifier and exclude bases with a different model |
| Search mode | Test semantic retrieval and full-text retrieval separately first | Compare hit differences for codes, warehouse names and natural language questions |
| Citation limit | Assumed starting point of 2000 tokens | Compare content completeness using allocation rule fragments of different lengths |
| Minimum relevance | Assumed starting point of 0.5 | Label relevant and irrelevant samples first, then compare filtering effect |
| Question optimization | Enable for follow-up turns, disable for explicit questions | Compare subject consistency between the original and optimized question |
| Result reranking | Enable reranking when candidates are numerous | Compare ranking differences between rerank scores and vector scores |
These values are assumed trial starting points for this exercise, not official defaults, and require comparison against measured samples before adjustment.
Three common errors
- Treating a retrieval hit as shipping authorization. With the input "When Suzhou inventory is insufficient, where does shipping occur from?", a recalled allocation rule fragment shows only that the fragment was retrieved. The draft sentence "this order is confirmed to ship from the Suzhou warehouse" still requires manual checking of the inventory synchronization table and the authorization status.
- Associating knowledge bases that use different vector models. When two allocation bases are entered, check the vector model identifier first. If the identifiers do not match, exclude them and record the actual observation. Do not infer missed recalls or redundant results.
- Treating a pending review request as approved. If a transfer order is in pending review status, retrieving that order shows only that the text exists. Signing, reaching cooperation and contract effectiveness are three distinct facts. A field that is not stated, or that shows only a related stage, is unsupported.
How to verify the setup
- Enter the allocation rule original text from the hypothetical sample and the retrieval term "When Suzhou inventory is insufficient, where does shipping occur from?", then compare whether the recalled fragment contains the conditional statement "transfers to Hangzhou when below the safety value." The check condition is met when that conditional sentence appears and has not been rewritten as a confirmed shipping warehouse.
- Enter the inventory synchronization table original text and the draft sentence "Suzhou inventory is sufficient; this order is confirmed to ship from the Suzhou warehouse," then compare the draft sentence against the field definitions in the original text. The original text provides only a quantity and a synchronization time, and gives no safety-value comparison conclusion. The draft sentence is unsupported, and the evidence gap must be recorded.
- Enter an empty citation array [] and check whether the downstream chain still runs. Do not claim that a search of the fictional rule necessarily returns []. If the retrieval result is empty, record it as no recall, and do not judge it as a business denial.