RAG patterns we actually use

Retrieval-augmented generation is having its moment. Here's what we've actually shipped — and what we'd skip next time.

Chunking is half the battle

Pick a strategy that respects your document structure. Sliding windows lose semantics; section-aware chunking keeps them.

Hybrid retrieval beats pure vector

For most enterprise corpora, a BM25 + vector ensemble outperforms either approach alone.

Evals from day one

Build a small set of canonical queries with expected answers. Run them on every prompt change. You'll thank yourself in week three.