Context layer sources and learning
The context layer learns from four categories of input. Each source flows through the same learning pipeline regardless of format or origin.
Built artifacts
Built artifacts are analytics objects that encode business decisions through their construction.
| Source | Description |
|---|---|
Liveboards |
Every saved formula and filter encodes a definition that someone stood behind. |
Interactions
Interactions are traces of how people use data in practice.
| Source | Description |
|---|---|
Conversations |
What people ask the Spotter agents, how they rephrase questions, and what answers they accept. |
Learning
The learning system determines how the context layer absorbs knowledge from each source. It operates in three modes:
- Index
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The system saves a pointer to the source and fetches the content at answer time. Nothing is copied.
Example: Point to a returns policy page in Confluence. The page is fetched when a question needs it.
- Extract
-
The system lifts definitions that are already explicit in a source.
Example: Business terms and their meanings, extracted from a glossary document.
- Distill
-
The system infers context from how artifacts are built and used.
Example: A Liveboard’s formulas and filters are distilled into metric definitions and default analysis rules.
The effectiveness of the learning system depends on two factors:
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Coverage: How much of each source is examined. For a Liveboard, this might include titles, formulas, charts, filters, and drill paths.
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Efficiency: How well patterns are recognized. Forty similar filters can become one organization-wide rule when the pattern is identified.
Context orchestration
Context orchestration is the process that turns raw learnings into structured, findable context. When a new piece of knowledge arrives, the orchestrator makes four decisions:
| Step | Decision | Example |
|---|---|---|
Allocate |
Which part of the context layer the knowledge belongs in. |
A revenue definition is filed as a metric definition. |
Scope |
The reach of the knowledge: organization, group, data model, or user. |
The definition applies to the Sales data model. |
Reconcile |
Whether to create a new entry, merge with an existing one, or flag a conflict. |
The new ARR definition is merged with the existing one. |
Stamp |
Attach the source, timestamp, and authority level. |
Source: Liveboard |
Structured context is what makes the rest of the system work. Typed, scoped, and stamped context entries are what the RAG layer can rank, the lifecycle system can maintain, and the governance system can audit.