Build a Source Register for an AI Knowledge Base

A register of approved source documents for a practical business AI workflow, with steps, an acceptance test, and a reusable prompt.

By Dr. Connor Robertson · Published October 24, 2026 · Implementation playbook

Deliverable: A register of approved source documents. Use this playbook when your team needs a repeatable operating decision with evidence that another person can inspect.

The business situation

An internal assistant answering questions about service policies across several departments. This is an illustrative scenario, not a reported client result. Start with a small approved sample and the actual constraints of your team.

The operating approach

Before indexing, identify the authoritative document, owner, effective date, access group, and retirement rule for each policy. Conflicting copies require an owner decision before the assistant uses them.

Build it step by step

  1. Inventory documents by business question rather than file count.
  2. Assign source authority and a review owner.
  3. Remove superseded copies from the active collection.
  4. Record approval and expiry with the index version.

A concrete acceptance test

Provide two refund policies with different effective dates and no clear approval status. The assistant should flag the conflict rather than choose the more generous policy.

Record the input, expected behavior, actual result, reviewer, and version tested. Repeat this case after a prompt, source, model, or integration change. Include the cases that failed in the next regression run.

The mistake to avoid

More documents can reduce answer reliability when authority is unclear. Resolve conflicts at the source.

A reusable working prompt

Create a source register with document ID, title, owner, effective date, audience, authority, review date, and superseded-by field. List unresolved conflicts separately.

Replace general descriptions with your approved process details. The prompt helps prepare an artifact; the process owner verifies the finished result before it changes a live workflow.

What to keep in the handoff

Save the accepted a register of approved source documents, its source versions, test evidence, unresolved questions, and a named owner. Set a review trigger tied to a meaningful business change, rather than leaving the pilot without maintenance.

Continue implementation

Explore AI Knowledge Bases and Evaluation or contact Dr. Connor Robertson about your business workflow.