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BotCircuits Space

Using Space Brain

How answers are found

What happens when you ask a question about your documents, in plain language, and how to get better results.

You don't need this page to use Space. But knowing roughly what happens helps you ask better questions and understand surprising results.

From question to answer

Your questionOnly files you may readTwo kinds of searchRanked passagesAnswer with sources
  1. Only your files. Before anything is searched, Space works out which files you are allowed to read. Search is never run unfiltered. A search with nothing permitted returns nothing.
  2. Two kinds of search at once. One looks for passages that mean the same thing as your question. The other looks for the same words. Results are blended, so “vacation days” finds “annual leave” and an exact code like POL-2041 is found too.
  3. Ranking. Passages are ordered by how well they match, with a few adjustments (below).
  4. Cleanup. Copies of the same file collapse into one result. Tables come back whole, not as scattered rows.
  5. Answer with citations. The copilot writes the answer and tags each source. A PDF source opens at the right page.

Questions are read differently

Space reads the shape of your question and adjusts:

If you ask…It does
A quoted phrase: "parental leave"Looks for that exact phrase and prefers passages containing it.
A code or ID: INV00045Leans on exact-word matching.
A count or total: “how many…”, “list all…”Prefers tables, and tells the agent to count from complete tables rather than excerpts.
A date: “in 2023”, “since March 2024”Prefers documents from that time.
Several questions or “compare A and B”Searches each part as well as the whole.

Tables and spreadsheets

Spreadsheet rows aren't searched like text. Instead each table has a short description (title, columns, first rows) that search can find. Once found, agents read or calculate over the real rows.

  • For exact figures, agents run calculations over every row.
  • A table inside a PDF or scan is flagged so you can verify key numbers against the original.

Versions and disagreements

If your organization has the knowledge graph switched on, Space can also:

  • Spot that a file is a newer version of another, and give the older one less weight. The answer says when it used an older version.
  • Notice when two documents disagree (for example, two different managers named for the same team), and say so rather than silently choosing.
  • Follow connections, such as a person to their team to its policy, to answer questions that span documents.

Everything here respects your access: a fact stated only in a file you can't read never reaches your answer.

You can improve it: rate answers

Answers that cite your files show 👍 and 👎. Ratings help:

  • Passages that people find helpful move up in future results. Ratings from everyone count, but only for passages the searcher can read anyway.
  • Helpful answers are remembered. A similar question later brings them back as a starting point, always checked against the sources again. By default only you see answers you rated; your administrator can widen it to the organization.

A 👎 on the same answer removes it from memory.

Tips for better results

If you can't find a file in answers

  • The file may still say Processing or Needs attention in the Library.
  • It may not be shared with you.
  • It may not be in the knowledge base the agent is limited to.
  • It may be an older version that's been given less weight.