Documents

What is PDF RAG?

PDF RAG keeps the file, splits it into passages or pages, embeds those units, and generates an answer that can cite them.

Updated · Part of What is RAG?

How it works

  • Store the PDF as a document.
  • Split it into passages that point back at the file.
  • Embed the passages and answer from the nearest ones.

What it is not

It is not uploading a PDF into a chat window with no index, and it is not OCR with nowhere to retrieve from.

PDF RAG: this, and the thing it is confused with

PDF RAG: this, and the thing it is confused with
ThisNot this
SourceThe PDF rowA chat attachment that disappears
UnitsPassages or pagesOne vector for the whole file
AnswerCites a passageParaphrases with no pointer

Where Pixeltable fits

Pixeltable stores the document, splits it with a view, and indexes the passage text. The model call reads those hits.

Questions

How does PDF RAG work?
Store the PDF as a document. Split it into passages that point back at the file. Embed the passages and answer from the nearest ones.
What is PDF RAG often confused with?
It is not uploading a PDF into a chat window with no index, and it is not OCR with nowhere to retrieve from.