What the documents look like
Returned-goods inspections handle reverse parcels and product grading. They do not handle new outbound orders the way in-warehouse picking and packing do. The working materials are the return inbound note, inspection photographs, the grade decision sheet and the resale listing sheet. Data arrives from the WMS returns module, platform after-sales records, carrier return parcels and the inspection bench, and it updates per item and per day.
For the procurement and supplier records task, the citation tracing step links the source information carried in those four documents to supplier records so that a reviewer can check the citation. A return inbound note identifies a return authorization number, an item, a quantity, a grade decision and a photo range; a resale listing sheet records whether a listing was generated. Those fields are the objects this step traces. The step does not decide whether a supplier record is complete, and it does not approve a resale listing.
Constraints at the citation tracing step
The knowledge base search node can select one or more knowledge bases that share the same vector model. Its output is an array of citations, and the length may be zero, which means the output path still runs even when nothing is retrieved. The citation ceiling is controlled in tokens rather than a top-k item count, because chunk lengths differ greatly across mixed knowledge bases. The minimum relevance value is a 0-1 threshold that applies only under semantic retrieval or when result reranking is used. Hybrid retrieval combines semantic and full-text recall through RRF. Reranking requires a rerank model and runs when configured. Retrieval returns citations; it does not perform authorization, approval, database writes or entity isolation, and a relevance score is not a category, entity or permission filter. Knowledge bases with different vector models cannot be associated together.
Hypothetical drill sample. The material text supplied for checking reads: "Return inbound note RMA-2024-0417, item A, quantity 2 units, inspection decision grade B resalable, inspection photograph numbers QC-0417-01 through QC-0417-04, resale listing sheet RS-0417 generated, supplier Supplier A." A draft sentence awaiting a decision reads: "The inspection photographs and the resale listing sheet for this return inbound note are both archived, and Supplier A's records are complete." The draft sentence must be checked against whether the material text states the archival status of the photographs and the listing sheet, and whether it states that Supplier A's records are complete. The material text states neither.
Configuration and implementation checks
| Configuration item | Hypothetical trial starting value | Checking method |
|---|---|---|
| Associated knowledge bases | One knowledge base related to returned-goods inspection | Check that the selected knowledge bases carry the same vector model identifier; exclude knowledge bases with a different vector model |
| Search mode | Hybrid retrieval | Use semantic retrieval and full-text retrieval together and combine results through RRF |
| Citation ceiling | Hypothetical starting value of 3000 tokens | Compare against the text length of the return inbound note and inspection photographs, and observe whether the citation content covers the fields needed |
| Minimum relevance | Hypothetical starting value of 0.3 | Applies only under semantic retrieval or reranking; compare against rerank scores and observe whether low-relevance results are filtered |
| Result reranking | Enabled when configured | Confirm whether a rerank model is available and compare candidate order before and after reranking |
| Citation output | Array format, length may be zero | Use the paper input [] to check whether the downstream design accepts an empty array |
The 3000-token and 0.3 figures are starting values chosen for this drill only. The reason for choosing them is to give the citation ceiling and the relevance threshold a concrete value to compare against the actual field coverage and rerank scores observed in the sample. They are not official defaults.
Three common errors
- Treating retrieval output as an authorization action. The knowledge base search node returns citation content only; it does not constitute a supplier record review or a resale listing authorization. The check is to compare the citation content against the return inbound note text and confirm whether an authorization status is stated there. In the drill sample, the material text states no authorization status, so the draft sentence is unsupported on that point.
- Treating the minimum relevance value as an entity or permission filter. The minimum relevance value is a 0-1 numeric filtering threshold; it does not exclude unrelated businesses or unauthorized records. The check is to compare citation content before and after filtering and confirm that filtering acts on score alone.
- Associating knowledge bases that use different vector models. Only knowledge bases with the same vector model may be associated. The check is to inspect the vector model identifier of each knowledge base, exclude those that do not match, and record the actual observation. Do not run a cross-model retrieval to compare missed recalls.
How to verify the setup
- Input the material text and the draft sentence from the hypothetical drill sample. Compare whether the draft sentence and the material text share the same subject, the same period and the same field. The material text does not state the archival status of the inspection photographs or the resale listing sheet, so the draft sentence is unsupported and the evidence gap must be recorded. The expected condition is that a reviewer can point to the specific field in the material text that carries the claim; when no such field exists, the draft sentence is not supported.
- Input the paper citation content []. Compare whether the downstream node accepts an empty array and continues execution. If the downstream node requires a non-empty citation, the downstream design needs adjustment. The expected condition is that the downstream design is observed to handle a zero-length citation array; this drill does not assert that a retrieval against any invented rule will return [].
- Input the supplier field from return inbound note RMA-2024-0417. Compare whether the citation content includes Supplier A. If the citation content does not include Supplier A, record it as a miss and do not infer that the supplier records are complete or incomplete. The expected condition is that the supplier field appears in the citation content and matches the material text; absence of the field is recorded as a miss, not as a negative finding.
The optional paths shown in the overall document flow diagram do not all execute on every request. Image retrieval requires a corresponding image input and model capability. Reranking requires an available model and runs when configured.