6 Progression of RAG Systems: Naïve to Advanced, and Modular RAG
This chapter covers
- Limitations of Naïve RAG approach
- Advanced RAG strategies and techniques
- Modular patterns in RAG
In the first two parts of this book, we have, so far, familiarized ourselves with the utility of RAG along with the development and evaluation of a basic RAG system. The basic, or the Naïve RAG approach that we have discussed is, generally, inadequate when it comes to production-grade systems. The next two chapters will focus on more advanced concepts in RAG and the technologies that make RAG possible in production.
In this chapter, we will begin by revisiting the limitations and the points of failure of the Naïve RAG approach. We will discuss the failures at the retrieval, augmentation, and generation stages. Advanced strategies and techniques to address these points of failure will be understood in distinct phases of the RAG pipeline.
Better indexing of the knowledge base leads to better RAG outcomes. We will look at a few data indexing strategies that will build upon the Naïve indexing pipeline to improve the searchability of the knowledge base.