tools-only Uploading and Managing Documents
Documents are the foundation of Simple Chat's Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) capabilities. This tutorial will teach you everything you need to know about uploading, organizing, and managing your documents effectively.
What You'll Learn
By the end of this tutorial, you'll:
- Upload documents to different workspace types
- Understand document processing and status indicators
- Organize documents effectively
- Handle different file types and formats
- Troubleshoot common upload issues
- Manage document versions and updates
Prerequisites
- Simple Chat deployed and configured
- Basic workspace setup completed
- Admin permissions for workspace configuration
Understanding Workspaces
Simple Chat organizes documents into different workspace types:
Your Workspace (Personal)
- Private to you: Only you can see and use these documents
- Perfect for: Personal notes, drafts, confidential documents
- Access: Always available to you in chat
Group Workspaces (Shared)
- Shared with team members: Multiple users can access
- Perfect for: Team documentation, shared knowledge bases, collaborative projects
- Access: Available to group members in chat
Ephemeral Documents (Session-only)
- Temporary: Available only during current chat session
- Perfect for: One-time analysis, temporary files, quick questions
- Access: Disappears when session ends
Step 1: Prepare Your Documents
Supported File Types
Text Documents:
.txt- Plain text files.md- Markdown files.html- Web pages.json- Structured data files
Office Documents:
.pdf- PDF documents.docx- Word documents.pptx- PowerPoint presentations.xlsx, .xlsm, .xls- Excel spreadsheets.csv- Comma-separated values
Images (with OCR):
.jpg, .jpeg- JPEG images.png- PNG images.bmp, .tiff, .tif- Other image formats.heif- High efficiency image format
Multimedia (requires additional configuration):
.mp4, .mov, .avi, .wmv, .mkv, .webm- Video files.mp3, .wav, .ogg, .aac, .flac, .m4a- Audio files
Document Preparation Tips
For best results:
- Use clear, descriptive filenames
- Ensure text is readable (not blurry scans)
- Organize related documents logically
- Keep file sizes reasonable (check admin settings for limits)
Step 2: Upload to Your Workspace
Let's start with personal document uploads:
Access Your Workspace
- Navigate to "Your Workspace" from the main menu
- Click "Add Documents" or the upload button
- Select files using the file picker or drag-and-drop
Upload Process
- Choose your files: Select one or multiple files
- Start upload: Click "Upload" or confirm selection
- Monitor progress: Watch the upload progress indicators
- Wait for processing: Documents need to be processed before use
Processing Status Indicators
You'll see different status indicators during processing:
- 📤 Uploading: File transfer in progress
- ⚙️ Processing: Document being analyzed and chunked
- ✅ Ready: Available for chat and search
- ❌ Error: Processing failed (see error message)
- ⏳ Queued: Waiting for processing resources
Step 3: Upload to Group Workspaces
Group workspaces require additional setup:
Create or Join a Group
- Navigate to "My Groups"
- Create new group (if you have permissions) or join existing
- Access group workspace once membership is confirmed
Group Upload Process
- Select the group workspace you want to add documents to
- Follow same upload process as personal workspace
- Consider team needs: Upload documents relevant to group members
Group Management Considerations
- Permissions: Ensure you have upload rights
- Relevance: Only upload documents useful to the group
- Organization: Use consistent naming and organization
- Updates: Coordinate with team members about document changes
Step 4: Document Classification (Optional)
If document classification is enabled, you can organize uploads:
Classification Benefits
- Organization: Group related documents
- Discovery: Help others find relevant content
- Workflow: Support business processes
- Compliance: Track document sensitivity levels
How to Classify
- Select classification type during or after upload
- Choose appropriate category from predefined list
- Add classification colors for visual organization
Example classifications:
- 📊 Financial Reports (Blue)
- 📋 Technical Documentation (Green)
- 🏢 HR Policies (Purple)
- 📈 Marketing Materials (Orange)
Step 5: Manage Your Documents
View and Organize
- Document list: See all uploaded documents
- Search functionality: Find documents by name or content
- Filters: Filter by classification, date, or status
- Sorting: Order by name, date, or relevance
Document Actions
- View details: See processing information and metadata
- Download: Get original file back
- Delete: Remove from workspace (careful - this affects chat!)
- Re-process: Retry failed processing
Version Management
When uploading a document with the same name:
- New version: Replaces old content
- Keep both: Rename one to keep separate versions
- Overwrite: Replace completely (recommended for updates)
Step 6: Using Documents in Chat
Select Workspace in Chat
- Go to Chat interface
- Choose workspace from dropdown
- Verify document availability in workspace selector
Document Context in Conversations
- Simple Chat automatically searches relevant documents
- Citations show which documents provided information
- You can ask about specific documents by name
Example Chat Interactions
General questions:
- "What are the main topics covered in my documents?"
- "Summarize the key findings from the financial reports"
Document-specific questions:
- "What does the Q3 report say about revenue growth?"
- "Find information about security policies in the HR documents"
Cross-document analysis:
- "Compare the budget projections across all quarterly reports"
- "What trends do you see across all marketing documents?"
Best Practices
Organization
- ✅ Use descriptive filenames
- ✅ Group related documents in appropriate workspaces
- ✅ Apply consistent classification schemes
- ✅ Remove outdated documents regularly
File Management
- ✅ Check file quality before upload
- ✅ Keep reasonable file sizes
- ✅ Upload updated versions when content changes
- ✅ Test document searchability after upload
Collaboration
- ✅ Coordinate with team members on group uploads
- ✅ Use consistent naming conventions
- ✅ Document any special handling requirements
- ✅ Share knowledge about document organization
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Upload Failures
Large file size:
- Check admin settings for file size limits
- Compress large files or split into smaller pieces
- Contact admin to increase limits if needed
Unsupported file type:
- Convert to supported format
- Check if additional features need to be enabled
- Use alternative file format
Processing errors:
- Verify file isn't corrupted
- Check if file requires specific software to open
- Try re-uploading or use different format
Content Not Found in Chat
Document not processed:
- Wait for processing to complete
- Check for error status and resolve issues
- Re-upload if processing failed
Content not matching queries:
- Try different search terms or phrases
- Verify document content is searchable text (not just images)
- Check if document needs OCR processing
Performance Issues
Slow uploads:
- Check internet connection
- Try uploading smaller batches
- Upload during off-peak times
Slow processing:
- Large documents take time to process
- Multiple simultaneous uploads can cause delays
- Check system resource availability
What You've Accomplished
Congratulations! You've successfully:
✅ Uploaded documents to different workspace types
✅ Understood document processing workflow
✅ Organized documents with classifications
✅ Learned document management best practices
✅ Troubleshot common upload issues
Next Steps
Now that you're comfortable with document management:
- Classify your documents for better organization
- Create agents that work with specific document sets
- Explore advanced document management techniques
- Learn about enhanced citations for better document linking
Next: Classifying Documents →