> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/MicrosoftDocs/azure-ai-docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Knowledge Sources

> Learn about knowledge sources for agentic retrieval including indexed and remote options.

# Knowledge Sources in Agentic Retrieval

A knowledge source specifies content used for agentic retrieval. It either encapsulates a search index or provides a direct connection to remote data.

## Knowledge Source Types

### Indexed Sources

Content stored in Azure AI Search indexes:

* **Search Index**: Existing search index with text and vector fields
* **Azure Blob**: Auto-generated pipeline from blob containers
* **OneLake**: Auto-generated pipeline from lakehouse
* **Indexed SharePoint**: Crawled and indexed SharePoint sites

### Remote Sources

Live data queried at retrieval time:

* **Remote SharePoint**: Direct SharePoint Graph API queries
* **Web (Bing)**: Real-time web search results

## Creating Knowledge Sources

```json theme={null}
{
  "name": "product-docs",
  "type": "searchIndex",
  "indexName": "products-index",
  "description": "Product documentation and specifications",
  "alwaysQuery": false
}
```

## Usage Control

* `alwaysQuery`: Include in every query (true/false)
* `retrievalInstructions`: Guidance for when to use
* `description`: Helps LLM select appropriate sources

## Next Steps

See [Create Knowledge Base](/search/agentic/create-knowledge-base) to combine sources into a knowledge base.