A vector store works well for finding information. It is not good for keeping official records.
I have seen teams store all an agents information in a vector database then they wonder why it shows order statuses, outdated bookings or old approvals.
The issue is that things being similar in meaning does not mean they are factually correct.
For things like orders, balances, bookings and approvals that're important for business the correct information should come from a structured source like SQL. The vector store should be used to find related information that is not structured.
Here is a simple test I use:
If your vector database was gone tomorrow could you still answer questions, about your business correctly?
If you cannot then your system probably needs to be changed.
For people building agents that will be used where do you decide to use SQL or a vector store?
[link] [comments]