> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vortexiq.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Upload and manage reference files in Vortex Memory
> Upload brand guidelines, supplier catalogues, policies, and SOPs to Vortex Memory so Ask Viq can cite them accurately and your team can search them at any time.
The Knowledge Base is the curated, merchant-uploaded layer of Vortex Memory. You upload reference files deliberately - brand guidelines, supplier catalogues, returns policies, contracts, SOPs, meeting transcripts - and the platform parses, indexes, and makes them citable by Ask Viq with page-level precision. The corpus is intentionally small and precise rather than large and noisy: every file in the Knowledge Base is there because someone decided the AI OS should know about it.
## Supported file types
Vortex Memory accepts six file types. Each has its strongest use cases.
The most-uploaded format. Best for finalised prose documents.
**Strongest use cases:** returns and refund policies, supplier contracts, brand guidelines, regulatory documents, internal SOPs, marketing briefs.
The platform extracts text for keyword indexing. Image-only (scanned) PDFs run through OCR at upload so the text is still searchable. Page numbers are preserved so citations can point to the exact page.
Microsoft Word format. Best for documents still being actively edited.
**Strongest use cases:** living SOPs with quarterly updates, strategy memos in revision, meeting notes, email templates.
Text is extracted with formatting context preserved (headings, lists, tables). Track-changes annotations are not extracted; the platform reads the document as it would print.
If the document is finalised, upload as PDF for cleaner extraction. Use docx when you expect to replace it with newer versions regularly.
Microsoft Excel format. Best for tabular reference data.
**Strongest use cases:** supplier price lists with SKU-level wholesale costs, internal pricing matrices, catalogue exports, cost-of-goods schedules, tax rate references.
The platform parses every worksheet. Formulas are evaluated at upload so cells carry their computed values. Ask Viq citations point to the specific sheet and row range.
Best for raw tabular data exported from another system.
**Strongest use cases:** product data exports from PIM systems or marketplaces, customer list snapshots, marketing analytics exports, inventory snapshots, historical data backfills.
Column types are inferred (number, date, string, boolean). Large csv files are chunked at row boundaries so search results return relevant row ranges rather than entire files.
Images (PNG, JPG, WEBP). Best for brand and visual reference material.
**Strongest use cases:** brand assets (logos, colour palettes), product photography, UI screenshots, visual regression baselines.
Each image is OCR'd at upload to extract any text content (signage, overlays, branding in screenshots). Alt-text is auto-generated for accessibility and search ranking.
Audio files (MP3, WAV, M4A). The platform transcribes at upload.
**Strongest use cases:** customer call recordings, team meeting recordings, supplier and partner calls, voice notes.
Transcription is automatic. Speaker diarisation distinguishes between speakers so the transcript reads as a dialogue. Both the audio file and the transcript are stored; citations can play back the cited segment of the original recording.
## How to upload a file
Navigate to Vortex Memory in the platform sidebar, then click the **Knowledge Base** tab. The upload surface sits at the top of the file list.
You have three options:
* **Drag and drop** - drag files or a folder from your file explorer onto the upload zone. The zone highlights when files are over it. Up to 50 files per drag-and-drop.
* **Browse and select** - click **Upload** to open your operating system's file picker. Select one or many files.
* **Bulk upload (zip)** - for batches larger than 50 files, use the bulk-upload form. Drop a zip file and the platform unpacks it, preserving the folder structure as your Knowledge Base hierarchy.
The upload form asks for a few fields before the file is processed:
* **File name** - defaults to the original file name. Rename it to something descriptive (`supplier-widgets-co-q2-pricelist.xlsx` rather than `Sheet1.xlsx`).
* **Description** - a short prose summary of the file (what it is, who produced it, when it applies). Descriptions are indexed and improve search ranking significantly.
* **Tags** - flat labels for cross-cutting search. The tag field autocompletes from your workspace's existing tag set. Common tags: `contract`, `q2-2026`, `widgets-co`, `policy`.
* **Folder** - the Knowledge Base folder this file lives in. Files without a folder land in the workspace Inbox for later triage.
* **Scope** - per-user private (default) or workspace-public. See the [scope section](#scope-private-by-default) below.
* **Retention** - how long the file should remain live. Default is forever. See the [retention section](#retention-controls) below.
For most files (short PDFs, small spreadsheets) indexing completes in under a minute. Long audio recordings can take a few minutes to transcribe.
The file status in the list shows **Parsing**, then **Indexed** when it is searchable. You can leave the surface and return; parsing continues in the background.
Once the status shows **Indexed**, the file is in the keyword search index and Ask Viq can cite it. Run a quick search for a term you expect to appear in the file to confirm the upload landed correctly.
## How to organise files
Use **folders** for hierarchy and **tags** for cross-cutting attributes - the two work together.
A typical folder structure for a merchant past the initial upload sprint:
```
/brand-guidelines/
/policies/
/returns/
/privacy/
/shipping/
/suppliers/
/widgets-co/
/gizmos-inc/
/sops/
/chargebacks/
/fulfilment-exceptions/
/meetings/
/weekly-team/
/supplier-calls/
```
A file at `/suppliers/widgets-co/contract-2026.pdf` might also carry tags `contract`, `q2-2026`, `signed-by-ceo`, `legal-review` - so you can find every supplier contract or every Q2 document regardless of folder.
## How to search the Knowledge Base
The search box at the top of the Knowledge Base tab runs **keyword search** across every parsed layer: file names, descriptions, tags, folder paths, and the full text of every uploaded document (including OCR'd image text and audio transcripts).
The search supports boolean operators:
| Operator | Example | Effect |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| `AND` | `pricing AND q2-2026` | Results must contain both terms |
| `OR` | `pricing OR catalogue` | Results contain either term |
| `NOT` | `supplier NOT directory` | Results contain the first term but not the second |
| `"exact phrase"` | `"effective from 01 Apr 26"` | Exact phrase match |
| `term*` | `policy*` | Prefix match (policy, policies, etc.) |
You can also narrow results without changing the query using filters: file type, folder, tag, owner, upload date, scope, and any custom metadata fields your workspace has defined.
Keyword search is the right tool when you know what you are looking for. For conceptual questions ("policies that mention transit damage") or synthesis across multiple files, use Ask Viq. A small **Ask Viq about this** link sits next to the search box and sends your current query directly to Ask Viq with the search results pre-loaded as context.
Semantic search - where your query is matched by conceptual similarity rather than exact term - is on the roadmap and will ship in a later release.
## Scope: private by default
Every file you upload is **per-user private** by default. No one else in your workspace can see it, search for it, or receive it as a citation from Ask Viq until you explicitly change the scope.
Default-private means the Knowledge Base is safe to use for exploratory uploads, drafts, and sensitive material. Sharing is always a deliberate act.
To share a file, open its detail view and use the **Share** action:
* **Share with specific teammates** - choose named users and grant either read-only (they can view the file) or read-and-cite (they can also cite it through Ask Viq) permission. The file stays private to everyone else.
* **Promote to workspace-public** - every member of the workspace can search for, read, and cite the file. A confirmation prompt appears before the change takes effect.
Reasonable defaults for most workspaces:
| File type | Recommended scope |
| --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Brand guidelines | Workspace-public |
| Returns and refund policies | Workspace-public |
| Shared SOPs | Workspace-public |
| Supplier price lists | Workspace-public if the team reasons about margin together; private to the finance lead if pricing is closely held |
| Customer call transcripts | Private to the handling team |
| Drafts under review | Private until ready, then promoted |
| Personal notes | Private |
## Retention controls
Each file has its own retention rule, set at upload. The default is **forever** - the file stays live until you manually delete it.
If you need a different window, the upload form offers preset options:
| Option | Typical use case |
| ------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| 7 years | Financial records (GDPR-adjacent retention) |
| 5 years | Contracts |
| 3 years | Operational records |
| 1 year | Reference material with a known shelf life |
| 90 days | Temporary uploads (a presentation that will be replaced) |
| 30 days | Genuinely temporary uploads |
| Custom | Any number of days, weeks, months, or years |
When a retention window closes, the file moves from **live** to **archived** - it is no longer in the active retrieval pool for Ask Viq but remains accessible with the "include archived" toggle. Archived files are not deleted; only explicit deletion is permanent and irreversible.
You can change a file's retention after upload from its detail view. Every retention change is logged in the audit trail.