Document Sources¶
A document source is a saved set of instructions that tells OCS where to read content from, for example GitHub or Confluence. You add one or more document sources to an indexed collection. OCS reads the matching content, splits it into chunks and indexes it, which is the same processing applied to files you upload yourself. Document sources work with both local and remote indexes.
When should I use this?¶
Use a document source when your content already lives in a system that people keep up to date.
Common examples include:
- A product documentation repository on GitHub that your support chatbot should answer from
- A policy or FAQ space in Confluence that your HR assistant should search
- Any content that changes often, where manual re-uploads would leave the chatbot giving outdated answers
Document source or uploading files?¶
| Document source | Uploading files to the collection | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the content lives | In GitHub or Confluence, where your team edits it | Files you add to the indexed collection yourself |
| Keeping it current | OCS re-syncs it for you, and the chatbot uses the update without a republish | You replace the files by hand |
| Best for | Content that changes often or is owned by other people | Files that rarely change, or that don't exist in GitHub or Confluence |
You can use both in the same indexed collection, and both count toward the same file limit. To upload files, see adding a collection to a chatbot. To add a document source, see Set Up and Manage Document Sources.
Supported sources¶
- GitHub: files from a repository, filtered by branch, folder, and file name pattern.
- Confluence: pages from a Confluence site, selected by space, label, query, or page ID.
See the Document Sources reference for what each source needs and how it behaves.
How syncing works¶
A sync is one run that fetches content from the source and updates the collection.
- OCS starts a sync when you save a new or edited document source.
- You can start a sync at any time from the document source on the collection page.
- If you turn on Auto Sync, OCS also syncs the source once a week.
- Each sync adds new files, updates changed files, and removes files that no longer exist in the source.
- If one file can't be processed, only that file is skipped. The remaining files still sync and stay searchable.
Syncs and published chatbots¶
Document-source updates reach published chatbots automatically
When a sync updates the collection's content, the changes apply to your published chatbot without a republish. See Collections and published chatbots.
Snapshots are different. A snapshot is a fixed copy of a collection, so syncs never change it.
See also¶
- Set Up and Manage Document Sources: add a source, run syncs, and read sync logs.
- Document Sources reference: configuration fields, authentication, and troubleshooting for each source type.