What the documents look like
Import and export permit handling takes place before customs declaration and determines whether a shipment may lawfully cross a border. The working materials in this category differ in role. Automatic import licences and dual-use item licences record a regulatory conclusion or an application in progress. Contracts and product descriptions record the basis on which an application was made. These materials are updated irregularly and per shipment, so a retrieval result reflects the state of the material at the time it was indexed, not the current state of any application.
For operations handover, this distinction matters. A licence application number, a commodity code, a submitting entity, a submission date and a current status are separate fields. A contract number, buyer, seller, signing date and effective condition are separate fields. Retrieval returns cited content; it does not return an authorisation, an approval, a customs release or a permission to declare.
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. Cited content is output as an array and its length may be zero, which means the output path continues even when nothing is retrieved.
The minimum relevance value is a filter threshold and applies only in semantic retrieval or when result reranking is used. It filters low-relevance results. It does not separate entities, does not exclude unauthorised records and does not act as a permission boundary. Hybrid retrieval combines multiple retrieval paths through RRF, which is a merging step inside the retrieval flow. Image retrieval requires corresponding image input and model capability. Reranking requires a model and must be enabled by configuration. The optional paths listed in the overall retrieval flow are not all executed on every request.
Hypothetical paper exercise. A trade compliance staff member intends to hand over the handling status of one automatic import licence to a colleague. The material provided for checking reads: "Licence application number A-2024-0117, commodity code 8471.30, applicant is an import and export enterprise, submitted to the commerce authority system on 5 March 2024, current status accepted." A second material, a contract, reads: "Contract number C-2024-0032, buyer is an import and export enterprise, seller is an overseas supplier, signing date 20 February 2024, effective condition is signature and seal by both parties." The draft sentence to be assessed reads: "This automatic import licence has been completed, declaration can be arranged." The material states the status as accepted. The draft sentence is not supported by the material.
Configuration and implementation checks
| Configuration item | Hypothetical starting point for this exercise | Reason and comparison method |
|---|---|---|
| Associated knowledge bases | Associate the permit materials knowledge base only | Check whether the vector model identifiers match, and exclude knowledge bases whose identifiers differ |
| Search mode | Begin by observing hybrid retrieval | Compare cited content from semantic, full-text and hybrid retrieval on the same question |
| Citation limit | Set to cover one complete licence description | Test with materials of different lengths to see whether cited content is truncated, then adjust |
| Minimum relevance | Annotate relevant and irrelevant samples first, then set a value | Compare results before and after filtering, only in semantic retrieval or with reranking |
| Question optimisation | Compare the original question with the optimised question first | Check whether the completion changes the subject, number or status, and decide by observed effect |
| Result reranking | Confirm a rerank model is available first | Compare candidate ordering before and after reranking, and observe score and cited content changes |
Three common errors
- Treating a retrieval hit as an authorisation to act. The input is the draft sentence above. Retrieval may return the licence material, but the status "accepted" does not show that handling is complete. The retrieval result is not an approval, a release or a permission.
- Associating knowledge bases that use different vector models. The input is a list of knowledge bases with differing vector model identifiers. The correct action is to check the identifiers and exclude those that do not match. Do not run cross-model retrieval in order to compare missed recalls.
- Treating minimum relevance as an entity or permission filter. The input is a query that contains an unrelated enterprise name. The threshold filters low-relevance results only. It cannot exclude unauthorised records, and retrieval does not perform permission isolation.
How to verify the setup
- Enter the licence material text above and the draft sentence. Compare "completed" in the draft sentence with "accepted" in the material. If the cited content still shows "accepted", the draft sentence is not supported and the evidence gap should be recorded.
- Enter the contract text above and the draft sentence. Compare the contract effective condition with the conclusion in the draft sentence. If the contract text states only a signing date and an effective condition, then contract effectiveness and licence completion are different facts and cannot be judged together.
- Enter a list of knowledge bases with differing vector model identifiers. Compare the identifiers. If they do not match, exclude that knowledge base and record the observed result. Do not infer runtime behaviour after association.
For empty results, a paper input of an empty array can be used to check downstream design. This does not show that any fictional rule returns an empty array in retrieval.