RAG Series (13): Query Optimization — Asking Better Questions

Short summary

Query phrasing affects vector retrieval results dramatically; the same question returns different documents depending on wording. Three strategies optimize queries: Multi-Query generates multiple phrasings to cast a wider net, HyDE generates hypothetical answers in document semantic space, and Query Decomposition breaks complex multi-hop questions into independent sub-questions. Each technique improves retrieval stability and completeness.

• •Multi-Query: Generate multiple phrasings of the question, retrieve from each, merge results for broader coverage
• •HyDE: Generate a hypothetical answer first and embed it instead of the question, aligning with document semantic space
• •Query Decomposition: Break complex multi-hop questions into independent sub-questions, retrieve each separately

Generated with AI, which can make mistakes.