With the introduction of Release 7 in October 2025, PhoenixAI enhanced the capabilities of Assistants with the introduction of Knowledge Sources and Data Sources for Assistants.

Knowledge Sources

Previously, assistants for sources could only gather data from files that were uploaded to it. With this release, this capability has been expanded to include three additional knowledges sources: Box, Google Drive, and OneDrive. This capability allows for the ability to connect directly to these sources and PhoenixAI will now update the assistant’s knowledge automatically on a daily basis for any changes or additions to the files at the location(s).

Knowledge sources do have guidelines for use. An assistant creator can only connect to university accessible sources, which require logging in with their university credentials.

Data Sources

A data source is a connection to a particular knowledge source and folder(s) contained within it. For example, a departmental drive that has files describing operating procedures for internal customers in one folder but keeps a separate folder for external customers. With a data source, you can connect the data source to both departmental drive folders and select the relevant information.

Create a Knowledge Source

1. Log into PhoenixAI if not done so already.
2. Click the user icon on the top right-hand corner.
3. Click Settings.
4. Select on the Connected Apps from the selections on the left.
   
   
   
5. Click the Connect button.

Each connection authorization will vary depending on the application. Once access has been granted, you are prompted to create a Data Source.

Create a Data Source

1. Log into PhoenixAI if not done so already.
2. Click the user icon on the top right-hand corner.
3. Click Data Sources.
   
   Note: You must have connected at least 1 Knowledge Source (app) prior to creating a data source. 
   
   
4. Click the Create a Data Source button.
   
5. Select the data source to be added from the list. 
   
   
   Note: In the above example, both Box and Google Drive are available, but OneDrive is not as a knowledge source has not been connected. Clicking the Connect button will allow it to be eligible to be added.
   
   
6. Click the Add Button using Google Drive as an example.
7. Enter a Data Source Name (required).
8. Enter a Description (optional).
9. Click the Add Data Source button to add your University Google Drive as a data source. 
   
10. Browse or search to select the folder(s) you would like to use for knowledge.
    
    1. You can select one or more folders by browsing to them.
    2. Non-valid file types (e.g. Google Sheets) will appear grayed out to indicate they will not be brought over and used.
    3. Only files at the selected folder’s “root” directory will be used. If you require files in a subfolder, browse the subfolder separately.
11. Close out of the screen clicking the x in the top right corner or pressing the Escape key.
12. Click the Sync Now icon to begin the sync process. This may take several minutes to accomplish based on the volume of files.
    
    
    
13. Once the files have successfully synchronized, you will receive a message indicating the sync has been completed either through a system message in the bottom right or if you navigated away from the screen, in the status field of the data source. The data source may now to added to an assistant.
    

Add a Data Source to an Assistant

1. Log into PhoenixAI if not done so already.
2. Select the user icon on the top right-hand corner.
3. Click the Assistants button.
4. Click on the Assistant you would like to add the data source to update it.
5. Scroll to the bottom of the screen.
6. Click the Add Data Source button.
   
7. Click the Add to Assistant button for the data source you want to add.
   
8. PhoenixAI will attempt to connect to the data source and synchronize all the files over again.
   
9. Click the Continue Button.
10. Click the Save button.

Data Source Specifications

1. A user is limited to a total of twenty data sources connections total (Google Drive, Box, OneDrive). This is both active and inactive sources. These twenty data sources can be utilized by all assistants.
2. Each assistant can have up to five data sources associated with it.
3. Each data source can have up to one hundred files total from all its selected folders. A file count past 100 will not be able to be processed.
4. File size cannot exceed one million tokens.
5. File size cannot exceed 20 Megabytes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I disconnect a data source from an assistant?

Go to the assistant and scroll down to the data source. Click the trash can icon. This will remove the data source from the assistant. This, however, does not delete the data source from other assistants nor remove it entirely.

I no longer want to allow PhoenixAI to be able to access any Box, Google Drive or OneDrive folders / files I gave permission to. How do I disable access I've given?

This can be managed in one of two ways.

1. Go to Settings > Connected Apps and click the Disconnect button. This deauthorizes PhoenixAI from accessing the folders.
2. Within Box, Google Drive, or OneDrive you can deauthorize the connection.

Note: When you disconnect the application, your data sources are not removed. They will not however, synchronize until you have authenticated the application again.

How many data sources can I have per assistant?

You may have up to five data sources per assistant.

Can a data source be shared between assistants?

Yes, the same data source can be shared between one or more assistants.

What file types can a data source use?

Data sources utilized the same type of files used in traditional knowledge file uploads with additional capabilities to use Google Documents and Google Presentations in Google Drive data sources.

How often are my files synced and when?

Folders and files are synchronized daily at approximately 2:00 AM CST time.

I uploaded new files to a folder, do I need to wait for the overnight job to sync them to my data source and then to my assistant?

No, you can always perform a manual sync via the Sync Now button. Keep in mind that syncing may take time due to the number of files and locations needing to be synchronized.

I am getting emails from PhoenixAI about my assistant data source failures. Why is this occurring?

PhoenixAI will send out notifications in the event there is an error with your data source. For example, a folder is empty. As part of these notifications, corrective action recommendations will be provided (e.g. place files in a folder).