Phase 3: Enterprise RAG Systems · 50 min · Python · LangSmith · Pinecone
Debugging Retrieval Quality
Is the right chunk retrieved? Is it ranked high enough? Is the generation using it?
Hiring signal: Client simulation interviews test diagnostic thinking: 'Your RAG system is producing inconsistent outputs in production.' Candidates who follow the diagnostic flowchart (right chunk retrieved? ranked high enough? generation using it correctly?) pass. Candidates who suggest 'try a different model' without diagnosis fail. This is the production debugging skill that separates FDEs who've shipped from those who've only demoed.
What you will learn
- Apply the diagnostic flowchart: right chunk? ranked high enough? generation using it correctly?
- Debug retrieval: inspect retrieved chunks, measure MRR@k, compare BM25 vs. dense results
- Debug generation: check if LLM ignores context, hallucinates, or misinterprets
- Debug chunking: too small (missing context) vs. too large (diluting relevance)
- Diagnose production degradation: stale documents, embedding drift, query distribution shift
What You'll Learn
This lesson takes approximately 50 min. By the end, you will be able to:
- Apply the diagnostic flowchart: right chunk? ranked high enough? generation using it correctly?
- Debug retrieval: inspect retrieved chunks, measure MRR@k, compare BM25 vs. dense results
- Debug generation: check if LLM ignores context, hallucinates, or misinterprets
- Debug chunking: too small (missing context) vs. too large (diluting relevance)
- Diagnose production degradation: stale documents, embedding drift, query distribution shift
The Problem
The client reports the RAG system is "giving wrong answers." Where do you start? The problem could be in retrieval (wrong chunks), ranking (right chunks but wrong order), generation (right context but LLM ignores it), or the query itself. This lesson teaches the systematic debugging methodology.
Unlock the full lesson
You've read the first 2 sections. The rest of this lesson covers The Diagnostic Flowchart, Debugging Retrieval: BM25 vs Dense Comparison, Debugging Generation: Lost in the Middle, Diagnosing Production Degradation, Practical Application, What Hiring Managers Look For, Resources, Key Takeaways, Next Steps — plus a hands-on lab, quiz, and project artifact.
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