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Backend Engineering Take-Home Assignment

The assignment requires building a Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) system using Weaviate as a vector database, focusing on document ingestion, embedding generation, and efficient retrieval. Key tasks include implementing an ingestion pipeline for various document formats, creating a question-answer API, optimizing performance, and deploying the application on a cloud platform. Deliverables include a code repository, live deployment, comprehensive documentation, and optional design write-up, with a completion timeline of 5-7 days.

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saketh reddy
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62 views4 pages

Backend Engineering Take-Home Assignment

The assignment requires building a Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) system using Weaviate as a vector database, focusing on document ingestion, embedding generation, and efficient retrieval. Key tasks include implementing an ingestion pipeline for various document formats, creating a question-answer API, optimizing performance, and deploying the application on a cloud platform. Deliverables include a code repository, live deployment, comprehensive documentation, and optional design write-up, with a completion timeline of 5-7 days.

Uploaded by

saketh reddy
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Backend Engineering Take-Home

Assignment
Overview
In this assignment, you will build a Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)
system that leverages Weaviate as its vector database. The primary goal is to
design a performant system that efficiently retrieves answers from uploaded
documents in various formats. This project will assess your ability to develop a
robust backend system focused on data ingestion, embedding generation,
indexing, and retrieval.

Project Requirements
1. Document Ingestion & Embedding Generation

●​ Supported Formats:
○​ PDF
○​ DOCX
○​ JSON
○​ TXT

●​ Ingestion Pipeline:
○​ Document Upload: Implement functionality to upload documents
in any of the above formats.
○​ Embedding Creation: For each uploaded document, generate
embeddings using an appropriate model (e.g., OpenAI’s
text-embedding, Hugging Face models, etc.).
○​ Note: I should be able to upload a new doc with the same name
and that should clear the earlier embeddings stored for that doc
and replace it with the new document embeddings.
○​ Storage: Store the generated embeddings within Weaviate.
○​ Automation: Develop an automated pipeline that:
1.​ Monitors for new document uploads.
2.​ Processes and generates embeddings.
3.​ Indexes the embeddings in Weaviate.
2. Question-Answer API Endpoint

●​ Functionality:
○​ APIs to ingest documents and update a document. Note: Update
is equivalent to re-uploading(via API, no need of an UI, but if you
can quickly spin it up then great) the entire doc with the changes.
○​ Create an API endpoint that accepts queries against individual
documents.
○​ The system should retrieve the most relevant text snippet(s) from
the queried document stored in Weaviate.
●​ Response Requirements:
○​ Return the answer with associated metadata such as:
■​ Snippet of the retrieved text.
■​ Document ID or other relevant identifiers.

3. Performance Optimization

●​ Efficient Retrieval:
○​ Ensure that the RAG system is optimized for quick and accurate
retrieval.
○​ Implement best practices such as:
■​ Document chunking for handling large documents.
■​ Precomputed embeddings to reduce latency during query
time.

4. Deployment

●​ Platform:
○​ Deploy the application on a cloud platform of your choice (e.g.,
AWS, GCP, Azure, Render, Railway, etc.).
●​ Accessibility:
○​ Provide publicly accessible endpoints for testing.
○​ Include clear deployment instructions in your documentation.

5. JSON Data RAG Extension (Bonus)

●​ Enhanced Functionality (Optional):


○​ Extend the system to support structured queries for JSON data.
○​ Capabilities may include:
■​ Retrieving the maximum or minimum value of a specified
field.
■​ Performing aggregations (e.g., sum, average) on numerical
fields.

Deliverables
1.​ Code Repository:​

○​ The repository should contain:


■​ The document ingestion pipeline.
■​ API endpoint implementation.
■​ Deployment scripts.
○​ Include a README.md file with comprehensive setup and usage
instructions.
○​ You’re free to use GenAI tools like GPT/Claude.
2.​ Live Deployment:
○​ Provide a publicly accessible URL for testing the system.
3.​ Documentation:
○​ A detailed explanation of the system architecture and workflow.
○​ API documentation that explains the endpoints and their usage.
4.​ Design Write-Up (Optional):​

○​ Summarize your design choices, including any trade-offs.


○​ Highlight potential improvements and challenges encountered
along with their solutions.

Evaluation Criteria
●​ Correctness & Completeness:
○​ Does the system correctly ingest documents and answer queries?
●​ Code Quality & API Design:
○​ Is the code well-organized, maintainable, and documented?
●​ Deployment:
○​ Is the application successfully deployed and easily testable via
public endpoints?
●​ Bonus Features:
○​ Are the extended JSON data aggregation capabilities
implemented effectively?
●​ Clarity & Documentation:
○​ Are the provided instructions clear, comprehensive, and easy to
follow?

Timeline & Submission


●​ Timeframe: Please complete the assignment within 5-7 days.
●​ Submission:
○​ Provide a link to your GitHub/GitLab repository (or a ZIP file if
necessary).
○​ Include deployment details and API documentation to facilitate
testing.

Thank you for taking on this assignment. It is designed to evaluate your skills
in backend system development, data ingestion, indexing, and retrieval.
Should you have any questions during the process, please do not hesitate to
reach out.

Good luck!

Note: Below are the sample files that can be used to generate embeddings.

whistleblower-policy-ba-revised.pdf
example.json​

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