Managed AI in practice / FIELD NOTES
Knowledge Base Source Inventory: Owners, Versions and Access
Build a maintainable source register, resolve conflicting versions and test access using a worked refund-policy example and publication checklist.
How do you decide which documents a business knowledge base should use?
A useful knowledge base begins with traceable sources. Inventory the material before importing it. Microsoft's knowledge-connector documentation highlights source permissions; the chosen system and actual user identities still need testing.
Give each source a manageable record
Assign a stable ID and record the title, location, subject, language, owner, version, effective date and review date. Use separate states for unverified, approved, superseded and archived material.
A shared-folder link alone is insufficient when its documents have different owners or rules. Inventory material at the level where someone can independently decide whether it remains valid.
Resolve duplication and conflicting instructions
Ask the business owner to identify the current version and its intended audience. Similar documents can serve different purposes: regional policies, internal procedures and public guidance need explicit scope.
Hold material with missing ownership, unclear dates or contradictory instructions outside the approved set. File names and modification times should not determine business policy.
Worked example: three refund documents
Suppose the collection contains an old policy, current customer guidance and an internal exception table. Mark the old policy superseded, use current guidance for general questions, and restrict the exception table to authorized support staff.
Test a standard deadline question, an authorized exception question and an unauthorized request for internal rules. Check the supporting source, applicable version and access outcome separately.
Publication and maintenance checklist
Test with representative user identities. Recheck affected records after migrations, permission changes or ownership changes.
- Working location and named owner.
- Confirmed version, effective date and scope.
- Duplicates and unresolved material identified.
- Ordinary and restricted-user tests completed.
- Review date and replacement process assigned.
Before you hand over the work
- A source inventory makes maintenance accountable.
- Retrieval, version accuracy and access require separate checks.
Demonstration projects and examples illustrate working methods. Follow the receiving party’s specifications and the scope agreed for your project.