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When to use a knowledge base

A knowledge base gives Prompts, Blueprints, Chatbots, and Agents approved information to use as context. Before creating one, check Public Libraries and your organization libraries for an existing knowledge base or Data Commons resource that already fits your need.

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1. Open the knowledge-base workspace

Sign in to Blueprint and open the organization workspace where the knowledge base should live. From the Launchpad or the New menu, choose New Knowledge Base. If the knowledge-base workspace or creation form is not available, the capability may not be enabled for the current organization or your role may not have access. Ask an organization administrator to confirm access before creating a duplicate resource.

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2. Create the knowledge base

Enter the name and description requested by the workspace. Use a name that tells people what the knowledge base contains and a description that identifies:
  • The intended audience.
  • The business, program, or mission area covered.
  • The owner responsible for reviewing the content.
  • Any important freshness, privacy, or access boundary.
Create the knowledge base, then open its detail view.

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3. Add content using the options available in your workspace

Use the knowledge-base detail view to add the documents, text, data, or connected sources supported by your organization. Blueprint’s available source types and configuration fields can vary by organization, permissions, and enabled integrations. Describe and configure only the options that are visible in your workspace. Do not assume that a file type, connector, crawler, scheduled sync, or external source is available until the workspace presents it. For each source:
  1. Give it a clear name and, when available, a description.
  2. Add only content approved for the knowledge base’s intended audience.
  3. Confirm ownership, access permissions, and update responsibility.
  4. Start the ingestion or processing action shown by the workspace.
  5. Wait for the source to finish processing before relying on it in a response.

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4. Review processing and search behavior

After content is added, review the status and any processing messages shown by the knowledge-base workspace. Open a processed source or run a search, when those actions are available, to verify that:
  • The expected content was extracted.
  • Headings, tables, and important context remain understandable.
  • Search results point to the right source.
  • Outdated, duplicate, or restricted content is not being returned.
Blueprint manages the retrieval preparation needed for supported knowledge sources. The controls for chunking, indexing, embeddings, refresh, and retention depend on the current workspace configuration; document only the controls that your organization exposes.

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5. Use the knowledge base in a tool

Use the knowledge base only where the related Blueprint tool exposes it as an approved source.
  • In a Chatbot, open Knowledge and select the approved knowledge available to that Chatbot.
  • In a Prompt, Blueprint, or Agent, use the knowledge or retrieval control presented by that tool.
  • Test the tool with questions that should be answered from the knowledge base and with questions that should not.
If the knowledge base is not available in a tool, verify that the tool, organization, visibility, and permissions are aligned. Do not copy sensitive source content into a Prompt or Chatbot as a workaround.

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6. Reuse public knowledge responsibly

Public Knowledge Bases and Data Commons resources can be discovered through Public Libraries. Open the resource details, review its description, creator, visibility, categories, tags, and update information, then choose Use this KB or the equivalent action when it is available. Treat public resources as starting points:
  • Review and test the content before using it in a real workflow.
  • Check the source’s owner and last-updated information.
  • Confirm that the data is appropriate for your audience and purpose.
  • Fork or copy the resource when you need to adapt it without changing the published source.
  • Do not add confidential, personal, or regulated data to a public resource.

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Knowledge-base governance checklist

  • The name, description, owner, and audience are clear.
  • Every source has an approved purpose and access boundary.
  • Processing completed successfully before the knowledge base is used.
  • Search results are relevant, current, and traceable to approved sources.
  • Chatbots, Prompts, Blueprints, and Agents use only the knowledge they need.
  • Refresh and review responsibility is assigned when the workspace supports it.
  • Public resources have been reviewed before reuse.