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Troubleshooting: Control 2.16 - RAG Source Integrity Validation

Last Updated: January 2026

Common Issues

Issue Cause Resolution
Agent can't find content Content not indexed or not approved Verify approval status; wait for index refresh
Citations not appearing Feature not enabled or content type issue Check citation settings; verify content has metadata
Stale content in responses No staleness policy or monitoring gap Implement staleness checks; update content
Unauthorized source added Maker added source without approval Remove source; implement approval workflow
Version mismatch Agent using cached/old version Force refresh; verify version settings

Detailed Troubleshooting

Issue: Agent Can't Find Expected Content

Symptoms: Agent responds "I don't have information about that" when content exists

Diagnostic Steps:

  1. Verify content is in an approved knowledge source: 

    Copilot Studio > Agent > Knowledge > Verify source is listed

  2. Check content approval status: 

    SharePoint > Library > Document > Check "Approval Status"

  3. Verify content has been indexed:

  4. Knowledge sources index periodically

  5. New content may take up to 24 hours

  6. Test with exact content terms to verify indexing

Resolution:

  • Approve content if in pending state
  • Wait for index refresh (up to 24 hours)
  • Verify content is in correct library/folder
  • Check knowledge source scope isn't too narrow

Issue: Citations Not Appearing in Responses

Symptoms: Agent provides answers but doesn't cite sources

Diagnostic Steps:

  1. Verify citation setting is enabled: 

    Copilot Studio > Agent > Settings > Check citation options

  2. Check if response type supports citations:

  3. Some response types may not include citations

  4. Verify agent is using knowledge-grounded responses

  5. Test with a question that clearly requires document reference

Resolution:

  • Enable citations in agent settings
  • Ensure content has proper metadata for citation
  • Verify agent is configured to use knowledge sources for the topic

Issue: Agent Using Outdated Content

Symptoms: Agent provides information from old document versions

Diagnostic Steps:

  1. Check document version history: 

    SharePoint > Document > Version history

  2. Verify agent knowledge source refresh:

  3. Knowledge sources sync periodically

  4. Check when last sync occurred

  5. Verify versioning configuration:

  6. Major vs. minor versions
  7. Which version is "current"

Resolution:

  • Publish new major version of document
  • Wait for knowledge source refresh
  • Manually trigger refresh if available
  • Verify versioning policy is correctly configured

Issue: Unauthorized Knowledge Source Added

Symptoms: Agent is using content from non-approved sources

Diagnostic Steps:

  1. Review all knowledge sources: 

    Copilot Studio > Agent > Knowledge

  2. Compare to approved source inventory

  3. Check audit logs for who added the source

Resolution:

  • Remove unauthorized knowledge source immediately
  • Document incident per incident response procedures
  • Review maker permissions
  • Implement approval workflow for knowledge source changes

How to Confirm Configuration is Active

Via Copilot Studio

  1. Open the agent
  2. Navigate to Knowledge
  3. Verify all listed sources are approved
  4. Test agent with knowledge-dependent question

Via SharePoint

  1. Navigate to knowledge source library
  2. Check Settings > Versioning settings
  3. Verify content approval is enabled
  4. Check version history on sample documents

Via Testing

  1. Upload new unapproved document
  2. Query agent about new content
  3. Verify agent does NOT use unapproved content
  4. Approve document and re-test

Escalation Path

If issues persist after troubleshooting:

  1. SharePoint Admin - Library configuration issues
  2. Copilot Studio Admin - Knowledge source configuration
  3. Content Owner - Content accuracy and staleness
  4. AI Governance Lead - Policy questions
  5. Microsoft Support - Platform issues

Known Limitations

Limitation Impact Workaround
Index refresh delay New content not immediately available Plan content updates ahead of need
No real-time staleness alerts Manual monitoring required Implement scheduled Power Automate flows
Citation format limited May not match regulatory requirements Document citation mapping procedure
Cannot restrict knowledge scope per user All users see same knowledge Use separate agents for different access levels
No built-in approval workflow Requires SharePoint or Power Automate setup Implement custom workflow

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