The article highlights issues like text-shape differences and partial updates that caused unreliable retrieval. To fix this, a consistent embedding pipeline was enforced, which included canonical preprocessing and full re-embeddings. The impact was improved reliability and reduced debugging time.
Full Analysis
The author, /u/coolandy00, points out that embedding drift can silently break a RAG system. Similar to how a car engine slowly degrades with bad fuel, the RAG system's performance declined due to subtle issues like text-shape differences and hidden characters in the data. The solution was to enforce a consistent embedding pipeline that ensured reliable retrieval: "Canonical preprocessing that never changes silently" and "Full re-embeddings instead of patching." This is a novel approach to tackle a common problem in long-running RAG systems, leading to more predictable results and less time spent on debugging. It's like having a standardized recipe to maintain consistent results.
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