Licensed to be used in conjunction with basebox, only.
// admin
Managing knowledge bases
This page covers the documents behind your organisation's apps from the admin perspective: processing status, updates, deletion and limits. A knowledge base is the set of files attached to an app in the "Files" tab; the app answers questions from these files with citations (RAG). As an administrator you have access to the knowledge base of every app.
Administrators maintain knowledge base content and limits
- Ensuring that apps answer from current documents – outdated policies produce outdated answers.
- Checking that a knowledge base contains only content that all users it is shared with may see.
- Recognising and fixing processing problems.
- Setting the limits per organisation for file count and size.
The knowledge base is in the app's "Files" tab
Knowledge bases belong to apps. Open "All apps", choose Edit on the app and switch to the "Files" tab. There you see:
- the list of files with a processing status per file,
- pagination and a search field by file name – important for large knowledge bases,
- the applicable limits, e.g. "Drop up to 5000 files with a maximum size of 1,000 MB here",
- the "Upload" and "Browse" buttons and the drag-and-drop area.
As an administrator you can edit every app – including apps created by others and the shipped apps.
Maintaining a knowledge base
Updating documents
- Open the app → Edit → "Files" tab
- Upload the new version. If it has the same file name, the old one is replaced automatically. If it has a different name, remove the old file as well, otherwise the app answers from both.
- Wait until the processing status is complete
- Save
Removing documents
- Find the file in the list (search by name)
- Delete
- Save – the content is no longer available to the app from now on. A deleted file can be uploaded again immediately.
Adding whole folders
Drag a folder into the area or pick it in the file dialog. The original file names are kept.
Setting limits per organisation
Upload and usage limits – number and size of files per knowledge base – are set per organisation. The fields Maximum file size for knowledge base uploads (default 100 MB) and Maximum number of files per app (default 100) are under Administration → Organisation in the Limits section. The app then shows users the values that apply to them in the upload area. In the chat, 10 MB per file applies regardless.
basebox connects network drives during setup
With basebox Server, including when basebox operates it, an app can take files from a network drive. basebox Cloud has no network drives.
- Not a connector. basebox connects network drives during setup, with one account for the whole organisation. As an administrator you cannot connect or disconnect drives yourself; contact support for this. Several drives are possible.
- Read-only. basebox changes nothing on the drive.
- Used in an app. Whoever builds the app chooses a folder from the list of connected drives in the app's "Files" tab, optionally only certain file types (for example only PDF), and sets how often basebox syncs: daily, weekly or manually when editing the app.
- Only changes are taken over. When syncing, basebox uploads new and changed files to the app; files deleted on the drive are removed from the app.
- The permissions on the drive do not apply per person. Anyone allowed to use the app gets answers from all files taken in. You control who sees what by sharing the app. Anyone allowed to build apps sees all connected drives.
- Turning it off: remove the folder from the app and delete the documents taken in.
OrbisF1, the ORBIS help pages, is technically a network drive too and works the same way.
What happens to the documents
On upload, the text is extracted (scans and images via text recognition), split into sections and stored as embeddings in the knowledge base. On a question, the entire knowledge base is searched – not just the first ten files – and the 20 most relevant sections go to the model. Details for users: Knowledge bases & sources · background: What is RAG?.
The documents do not leave your basebox environment; in Cloud and Server the AI model in basebox also runs inside the environment. Exceptions are an app with an external model and hybrid operation, where the AI models come from another location. In the basebox Cloud transition phase until November 2026 the matching sections go to an AI model at Google Vertex AI in Frankfurt (Model providers). Where the documents live technically is described under Security & Compliance → Storage.
Note
- Mind the processing status. A file becomes usable only once processing is complete. If a file gets stuck, check format and password protection – see Solving upload problems.
- Whoever may use the app sees all documents – regardless of their permissions in the source system. Unlike connectors, there is no per-user permission check here. Control access via App sharing.
- One document, many apps: every app has its own knowledge base. A document needed in several apps is uploaded to each – and maintained there.
- People with Use and Edit can add and remove documents. Grant "Use and Edit" to the team that is responsible for the content.
- Storage consumption per app is currently not shown in the interface; the dashboard shows tokens, users and amount per app.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the app answer from an outdated version? Because the old file is still in the knowledge base. Same file name replaces automatically; a different file name does not.
How many documents can a knowledge base contain? That is determined by your organisation's limit; the upload area shows it. All of them are searched.
Can I see which documents an answer used? Yes – as a user of the app via the source chips and the SOURCES section below every answer.
Do deleted documents become ineffective immediately? Yes. After saving, the app no longer accesses them. How deletion works technically: Deletion.
Next step: App approval
Need help? Contact support