RAG is often introduced as ‘connect the model to your documents.’ In practice, retrieval quality dominates outcomes: wrong chunks produce confident wrong answers.
Measuring and controlling retrieval
Serious programmes measure recall and precision on representative queries, track citation fidelity, and enforce access control so users only see sources they are permitted to read.
Memory layers — session, user, or organisational — must be designed with retention rules and auditability, not appended as an afterthought.
Governance over the knowledge index
Governance completes the picture: who can change the index, how often it is refreshed, and how drift is detected when policies or products change.