What the documents look like
Cold-chain receiving at a store turns on transport temperature and arrival batch. The working materials are cold-chain temperature records, arrival acceptance sheets, rejection sheets, and supplier delivery notes. They are produced per batch and per day. The data sources named in the brief are cold-chain vehicle temperature control, WMS, the store receiving system, and quality inspection photos.
For the citation tracing step, the object is the source check between these materials and what a knowledge-base search and answer returns. The search node outputs a citation array, and its length may be zero. The answer step compares each returned citation against the original text. Update frequency does not change retrieval behavior, so it is not developed here.
Two industry facts shape this page. First, receiving is organized per batch and per day, so a citation must be tied to a specific batch record rather than to a supplier in general. Second, the materials carry distinct status fields, so a citation that repeats a status must be checked against that same field in the same record.
Constraints at the citation tracing step
When linking knowledge bases, only knowledge bases that share the same vector model can be linked together. Bases with different vector models cannot be linked together. The check is to compare the vector model identifiers first, exclude those that do not match, and record what was observed. Retrieval is not authorization, and a relevance score is not a category, entity, or permission filter. Semantic recall and the minimum relevance value only filter by similarity. Mixed retrieval combines multiple result paths through RRF; RRF is a fusion process, not a switch. Image retrieval requires image input and model capability, and reranking requires a model and must be enabled by its setting. These are optional paths listed in the documentation and do not all run on every request. The citation limit is counted in tokens. Thinking budget belongs to thinking configuration and is unrelated to the citation token limit.
A hypothetical paper exercise sample: a fresh-produce warehouse operator receives a batch of cold-chain vegetables on 10 March 2025. The store receiving system produces arrival acceptance sheet number A-0310. The cold-chain temperature record shows an arrival temperature of 4 degrees Celsius. The supplier delivery note names the supplier as "Qinghe Agricultural Cooperative." A proposed determination sentence reads: "Arrival acceptance sheet A-0310 has confirmed this batch of vegetables passed acceptance and can be put into storage directly." The source text to be checked reads: the status field of arrival acceptance sheet A-0310 is "pending quality inspection"; the temperature record states an arrival temperature of 4 degrees Celsius; the delivery note names the supplier "Qinghe Agricultural Cooperative." The proposed sentence writes "pending quality inspection" as "passed acceptance," which is unsupported.
Configuration and implementation checks
The table below is tied to the sample above. Where a value is needed, it is stated as a starting point for this hypothetical exercise.
| Configuration item | Starting point for this hypothetical exercise | Reason and comparison object |
|---|---|---|
| Linked knowledge bases | Select only the cold-chain receiving base whose vector model identifier matches | Compare with the other base's identifier; exclude any that does not match |
| Search mode | Mixed retrieval | Compare numbered-item query hits against semantic retrieval |
| Citation limit | Start at a token amount covering the full text of one batch acceptance sheet | Compare with the actual length of one batch's materials, then adjust |
| Minimum relevance | Start at the midpoint of the documented 0 to 1 range | Compare with the score distribution of retrieval results |
| Reranking | Enabled by its setting | Compare ranking order against results without reranking |
| Citation output handling | Pass the citation array to the answer step for item-by-item comparison | Compare against the original citation text; treat an empty array as an empty array |
Three common errors
- Treating a retrieval hit as authorization. Error: assuming that a recalled citation means the batch of vegetables may be put into storage. Check: with the sample input, the status of A-0310 is "pending quality inspection"; compare the proposed determination sentence against the status field of the original text and observe whether the two values agree. If they do not agree, the sentence is unsupported.
- Treating an empty citation array as an error. Error: deciding that the workflow has stopped when the output length is zero. Check: use a paper input of an empty array, compare it against the downstream handling design, and observe whether the output path runs through. Do not claim that a fictional rule will always return an empty array.
- Forcing knowledge bases with different vector models to be linked together. Error: linking two bases with different identifiers and then inferring missed recall. Check: compare the two vector model identifiers, exclude any that do not match, and record what was observed. Do not invent the runtime result of linking them together.
How to verify the setup
- Input the sample source text "the status field of arrival acceptance sheet A-0310 is pending quality inspection," compare it against the proposed sentence "has confirmed passed acceptance," and observe whether the answer corresponds to the original text item by item. If "passed acceptance" appears, the sentence is unsupported; the status "pending quality inspection" should be kept and the evidence gap recorded.
- Input a paper empty array, compare it against the downstream handling design, and observe whether the output path runs through. Treat the empty array as an empty array and do not infer a workflow error or a business action.
- Input the two knowledge bases' vector model identifiers, compare whether they match, and observe whether the linking operation is permitted. When the identifiers do not match, exclude that base and record it. Do not run a cross-model search to compare missed recall.
Signing, reaching cooperation, and contract effectiveness are three different facts. A quotation validity period does not indicate a supply period. Authorization or effectiveness clauses not stated in the sample remain missing.