Choose a graph when relationships change the decision
Graph structure earns its place when ownership, exceptions, or constraints must be followed across records before an operator can act.
7 minGraph retrieval is useful when the relationship between records changes the answer, the owner, or the safe next action.
Start with a relationship question
Do not begin with a graph because the data is connected. Begin with the question an operator cannot answer reliably without following a relationship across documents, systems, or owners.
- Name the records and relationship that affect the decision
- Describe the exception that a flat search would miss
- Define the operator action that follows the answer
Protect provenance at every hop
A path through entities is only useful when each hop remains inspectable. Keep source, permission, freshness, and unresolved ambiguity attached to the relationship used in the answer.
- Show the source behind each material relationship
- Keep access rules aligned with every traversal
- Expose missing, conflicting, or stale links to the reviewer
Test the fallback
Operators need a safe response when the graph is incomplete or the relationship does not support the decision. A bounded fallback is part of the design.
- Return a clear no-answer state when the path is incomplete
- Route uncertain cases to a named owner
- Compare graph and baseline retrieval on the same decisions