How to Build Your First Knowledge Base

Your knowledge base is the collection of reference materials the AI uses when generating documents. This is what ensures the AI produces output aligned with your standards, your sector's regulations, and your firm's style.

Building a good knowledge base takes 10–20 minutes for most consultants. This guide walks you through exactly what to upload and how to organize it.

What Goes in a Knowledge Base?

Your knowledge base should include:

1. Regulations and legal frameworks — The standards your documents must comply with.
2. Standard templates — Your existing document templates (if you have them).
3. Completed examples — Anonymized versions of documents you have delivered in the past.
4. Internal guidelines — Checklists, style guides, or process documentation your firm uses.

The goal is to give the AI the same materials you would give to a junior consultant if you asked them to draft a document.

What File Types Can You Upload?

• PDF
• DOCX

Maximum file size and storage limits vary by plan:

• Flex: 5 documents / 50 MB total
• Starter: 15 documents / 200 MB total
• Professional: 40 documents / 500 MB total
• Business: 100 documents / 2 GB total

Step-by-Step: Building Your Knowledge Base

Step 1: Identify Your Core Regulations

Start with the regulatory framework your documents must comply with. For most consultants, this is 1–3 key documents.

Examples:

• Safety consultants: Workplace safety regulations for your jurisdiction
• ISO consultants: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, or relevant standard
• ESG firms: GHG Protocol, CSRD reporting standards
• HR consultants: Labor law summaries, GDPR compliance guides
• Legal/accounting: Relevant statutes or compliance frameworks

Upload these first. They form the foundation of every document the AI generates.

Step 2: Add Your Standard Templates (If You Have Them)

If you already have document templates you use for client deliverables, upload them. The AI will learn your preferred structure, section headings, and formatting.

If you do not have templates yet, skip this step. The AI will work from your system prompt instead.

Step 3: Upload 2–3 Completed Examples

Find 2–3 documents you have delivered to clients in the past. Anonymize them (remove client names, specific site details, sensitive data), then upload.

These examples teach the AI your tone, your level of detail, and how you handle common scenarios.

Important: Only upload documents you have the right to use. Do not upload client-confidential material without permission.

Step 4: Add Internal Guidelines (Optional)

If your firm has internal checklists, style guides, or process documentation, upload them. This is especially useful for larger firms with standardized workflows.

For solo consultants, this step is usually optional.

How the AI Uses Your Knowledge Base

When a client submits a questionnaire, the AI:

1. Reads your system prompt (the expert instructions you wrote)
2. Searches your knowledge base for relevant sections
3. Combines your instructions, your reference materials, and the client's answers
4. Generates a draft document

The AI does not memorize your knowledge base. It searches it in real time for each document generation, pulling in only the sections relevant to that specific client.

This is called Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG).

What If Your Knowledge Base Is Incomplete?

The AI will still generate a document, but it will rely more heavily on your system prompt and less on sector-specific references.

For most consultants, starting with 3–5 core documents is enough:

• 1–2 regulatory frameworks
• 1–2 completed examples
• 1 template (optional)

You can add more materials over time as you identify gaps.

Can You Update Your Knowledge Base Later?

Yes. You can add, replace, or delete files from your knowledge base at any time.

If you update a regulation or want to add a new template, upload the new file and delete the old one. The AI will use the updated materials for all future document generations.

Knowledge Base Best Practices

1. Keep file names descriptive — "ISO-9001-2015.pdf" is better than "Document1.pdf"
2. Remove unnecessary pages — If a 200-page regulation has only 10 relevant pages, extract and upload just those
3. Anonymize completed examples — Remove client names and confidential details
4. Use clean, searchable PDFs — Scanned images work poorly; text-based PDFs work best
5. Start small, add later — 3–5 core documents are enough to start

Example Knowledge Base: Safety Consultant

Here is what a workplace safety consultant might upload for a Risk Assessment frontend offer:

1. Workplace_Safety_Regulations_2024.pdf — Local regulatory framework (12 pages)
2. Risk_Assessment_Template_v3.docx — Standard template used for client deliverables
3. Example_Risk_Assessment_Manufacturing.pdf — Completed example for a manufacturing client (anonymized)
4. Example_Risk_Assessment_Office.pdf — Completed example for an office environment (anonymized)
5. Internal_Risk_Severity_Guide.pdf — Internal checklist for categorizing hazards (2 pages)

Total: 5 files, approximately 30 MB

This is enough to generate high-quality, compliant risk assessments for most clients.

What About Proprietary or Confidential Materials?

Your knowledge base files are stored in Google Cloud infrastructure (EU region) and are never shared with other users. The AI uses your materials only for your document generation.

That said: only upload materials you have the right to use. Do not upload client-confidential documents unless you have written permission.

How Long Does It Take?

Most consultants spend 10–20 minutes building their first knowledge base:

• 5 minutes to identify and gather files
• 5 minutes to upload and verify
• 5–10 minutes to anonymize completed examples (if needed)

After initial setup, updates are rare — typically only when regulations change or you refine your templates.

Ready to Build Yours?

Gather your core regulations, templates, and a few completed examples. Upload them to EzyFront, then test your first document generation.