Learning path · Production RAG · 55
Advanced RAG
Patterns beyond naive retrieve-once—multi-query, rerank, compress, route, and agentic retrieval loops.
Why it matters
- Closes gap between demo RAG and production accuracy.
- Targets multi-hop and comparative questions.
- Adds orchestration complexity requiring observability.
Key ideas
- Iterative retrieval
- Context compression
- Routing
Advanced RAG iterates: decompose questions, retrieve in waves, compress chunks to summaries, route subtopics to specialized indexes, or let an agent decide when to search again. Use when naive top-K fails on comparisons ("diff plan A vs B") or temporal questions. Cap iterations to control cost; log each retrieval hop for debugging. Cap agentic retrieval loops with step budgets and explicit stop reasons logged for finance and debugging review. Ship only after eval gates pass on representative production failures.
Updated 2026-08-09 · Full learning path