Compare variants

Two design variants of Enterprise Knowledge Assistant, delivering the same unit event by different designs. The comparison states what differs; it does not rank the designs.

Common unit event

Knowledge Work Request

KNOWLEDGE_WORK_REQUEST

One enterprise knowledge question taken through request interpretation, internal knowledge retrieval, grounded answer generation, and—when selected—verification and revision.

Left

Complete

Quick Knowledge Answer

One retrieval pass and one grounded answer, with no separate verification or revision.

Direct cost per knowledge work request

Reference

0.007096 USD

Open scenariodv-quick-knowledge-answer

Right

Complete

Verified Knowledge Answer

A larger evidence set, a stronger answering model, and explicit grounding verification and revision.

Direct cost per knowledge work request

Reference

0.105172 USD

Open scenariodv-verified-knowledge-answer

No difference figure is shown

A difference between two prices is itself a price, and this surface derives none. The read model carries each variant’s own reference result and no comparison of them, so both figures are shown as they were produced and are read against each other by eye.

Shared assumptions

Inputs both variants carry with the same meaning. Everything compared below stands on these; where a shared input holds a different value in each variant, the row says so.

55 shared

Input	Quick Knowledge Answer	Verified Knowledge Answer
Assemble Grounded Context — mode`au-assemble-grounded-context.implementation_mode`	im-assemble-context-deterministic	im-assemble-context-deterministic
Assemble Grounded Context — occurrences`au-assemble-grounded-context.occurrence_count`	1UNIT	1UNIT
Retrieved Context TokensDiffers`au-assemble-grounded-context.retrieved_context_tokens`	2400TOKEN	6000TOKEN
Cached Tokens`au-embed-query.cached_tokens`	0TOKEN	0TOKEN
Embed Query — offering`au-embed-query.commercial_offering`	ctxdex:offering:agent-makers:ctxdex-retrieval-3-embed	ctxdex:offering:agent-makers:ctxdex-retrieval-3-embed
Embed Query — mode`au-embed-query.implementation_mode`	im-embed-model	im-embed-model
Embed Query — occurrences`au-embed-query.occurrence_count`	1UNIT	1UNIT
Retrieval Query TokensDiffers`au-embed-query.retrieval_query_tokens`	160TOKEN	220TOKEN
Answer Instruction TokensDiffers`au-generate-grounded-knowledge-answer.answer_instruction_tokens`	500TOKEN	600TOKEN
Cached Tokens`au-generate-grounded-knowledge-answer.cached_tokens`	0TOKEN	0TOKEN
Generate Grounded Knowledge Answer — offeringDiffers`au-generate-grounded-knowledge-answer.commercial_offering`	ctxdex:offering:agent-makers:ctxdex-intelligence-4-fast	ctxdex:offering:agent-makers:ctxdex-intelligence-4-pro
Expected Answer TokensDiffers`au-generate-grounded-knowledge-answer.expected_answer_tokens`	700TOKEN	1200TOKEN
Generate Grounded Knowledge Answer — mode`au-generate-grounded-knowledge-answer.implementation_mode`	im-generate-grounded-knowledge-answer-model	im-generate-grounded-knowledge-answer-model
Normalized Request TokensDiffers`au-generate-grounded-knowledge-answer.normalized_request_tokens`	200TOKEN	300TOKEN
Generate Grounded Knowledge Answer — occurrences`au-generate-grounded-knowledge-answer.occurrence_count`	1UNIT	1UNIT
Retrieved Context TokensDiffers`au-generate-grounded-knowledge-answer.retrieved_context_tokens`	2400TOKEN	6000TOKEN
Cached Tokens`au-interpret-knowledge-request.cached_tokens`	0TOKEN	0TOKEN
Interpret Knowledge Request — offering`au-interpret-knowledge-request.commercial_offering`	ctxdex:offering:agent-makers:ctxdex-intelligence-4-fast	ctxdex:offering:agent-makers:ctxdex-intelligence-4-fast
Conversation Context TokensDiffers`au-interpret-knowledge-request.conversation_context_tokens`	600TOKEN	800TOKEN
Expected Normalized TokensDiffers`au-interpret-knowledge-request.expected_normalized_tokens`	200TOKEN	300TOKEN
Interpret Knowledge Request — mode`au-interpret-knowledge-request.implementation_mode`	im-interpret-knowledge-model	im-interpret-knowledge-model
Knowledge Request TokensDiffers`au-interpret-knowledge-request.knowledge_request_tokens`	200TOKEN	250TOKEN
Interpret Knowledge Request — occurrences`au-interpret-knowledge-request.occurrence_count`	1UNIT	1UNIT
System Instruction TokensDiffers`au-interpret-knowledge-request.system_instruction_tokens`	400TOKEN	500TOKEN
Prepare Retrieval Query — mode`au-prepare-retrieval-query.implementation_mode`	im-prepare-query-deterministic	im-prepare-query-deterministic
Prepare Retrieval Query — occurrences`au-prepare-retrieval-query.occurrence_count`	1UNIT	1UNIT
Retrieval Query TokensDiffers`au-prepare-retrieval-query.retrieval_query_tokens`	160TOKEN	220TOKEN
Candidate Document CountDiffers`au-rerank-candidates.candidate_document_count`	10UNIT	25UNIT
Candidate Document TokensDiffers`au-rerank-candidates.candidate_document_tokens`	8000TOKEN	20000TOKEN
Rerank Candidates — offering`au-rerank-candidates.commercial_offering`	ctxdex:offering:agent-makers:ctxdex-retrieval-2-rerank	ctxdex:offering:agent-makers:ctxdex-retrieval-2-rerank
Rerank Candidates — mode`au-rerank-candidates.implementation_mode`	im-rerank-model	im-rerank-model
Rerank Candidates — occurrences`au-rerank-candidates.occurrence_count`	1UNIT	1UNIT
Query Count`au-rerank-candidates.query_count`	1UNIT	1UNIT
Request Output Tokens`au-rerank-candidates.request_output_tokens`	Not carried	Not carried
Retrieval Query TokensDiffers`au-rerank-candidates.retrieval_query_tokens`	160TOKEN	220TOKEN
Cached Tokens`au-revise-grounded-knowledge-answer.cached_tokens`	0TOKEN	0TOKEN
Expected Revised Answer Tokens`au-revise-grounded-knowledge-answer.expected_revised_answer_tokens`	1400TOKEN	1400TOKEN
Grounded Answer TokensDiffers`au-revise-grounded-knowledge-answer.grounded_answer_tokens`	700TOKEN	1200TOKEN
Revise Grounded Knowledge Answer — mode`au-revise-grounded-knowledge-answer.implementation_mode`	im-revise-grounded-knowledge-answer-model	im-revise-grounded-knowledge-answer-model
Normalized Request TokensDiffers`au-revise-grounded-knowledge-answer.normalized_request_tokens`	200TOKEN	300TOKEN
Revise Grounded Knowledge Answer — occurrences`au-revise-grounded-knowledge-answer.occurrence_count`	1UNIT	1UNIT
Retrieved Context TokensDiffers`au-revise-grounded-knowledge-answer.retrieved_context_tokens`	2400TOKEN	6000TOKEN
Revision Instruction Tokens`au-revise-grounded-knowledge-answer.revision_instruction_tokens`	500TOKEN	500TOKEN
Verification Notes Tokens`au-revise-grounded-knowledge-answer.verification_notes_tokens`	700TOKEN	700TOKEN
Candidate Document CountDiffers`au-search-enterprise-knowledge.candidate_document_count`	10UNIT	25UNIT
Candidate Document TokensDiffers`au-search-enterprise-knowledge.candidate_document_tokens`	8000TOKEN	20000TOKEN
Search Enterprise Knowledge — mode`au-search-enterprise-knowledge.implementation_mode`	im-search-local-unpriced	im-search-local-unpriced
Search Enterprise Knowledge — occurrences`au-search-enterprise-knowledge.occurrence_count`	1UNIT	1UNIT
Cached Tokens`au-verify-grounded-knowledge-answer.cached_tokens`	0TOKEN	0TOKEN
Expected Verification Tokens`au-verify-grounded-knowledge-answer.expected_verification_tokens`	700TOKEN	700TOKEN
Grounded Answer TokensDiffers`au-verify-grounded-knowledge-answer.grounded_answer_tokens`	700TOKEN	1200TOKEN
Verify Grounded Knowledge Answer — mode`au-verify-grounded-knowledge-answer.implementation_mode`	im-verify-grounded-knowledge-answer-model	im-verify-grounded-knowledge-answer-model
Verify Grounded Knowledge Answer — occurrences`au-verify-grounded-knowledge-answer.occurrence_count`	1UNIT	1UNIT
Retrieved Context TokensDiffers`au-verify-grounded-knowledge-answer.retrieved_context_tokens`	2400TOKEN	6000TOKEN
Verification Instruction Tokens`au-verify-grounded-knowledge-answer.verification_instruction_tokens`	500TOKEN	500TOKEN

Only in Quick Knowledge Answer

Revise Grounded Knowledge Answer — enabledau-revise-grounded-knowledge-answer.enabledDisabled
Verify Grounded Knowledge Answer — enabledau-verify-grounded-knowledge-answer.enabledDisabled

Only in Verified Knowledge Answer

Revise Grounded Knowledge Answer — offeringau-revise-grounded-knowledge-answer.commercial_offeringctxdex:offering:agent-makers:ctxdex-intelligence-4-pro
Verify Grounded Knowledge Answer — offeringau-verify-grounded-knowledge-answer.commercial_offeringctxdex:offering:agent-makers:ctxdex-intelligence-4-pro

Design differences

What the two designs do differently, before any money is involved.

No structural difference recordedThe two variants differ in which activities they run rather than in how a shared activity is configured.

Operations

Aligned on canonical identity, never on a display name.

In both6

Deliver Verified Answerop-deliver-verified-answer
Discover Relevant Internal Sourcesop-discover-internal-sources
Retrieve & Rank Evidenceop-retrieve-rank-knowledge
Synthesize Grounded Answerop-synthesize-knowledge-answer
Understand Knowledge Requestop-understand-knowledge-request
Validate Groundingop-validate-knowledge-grounding

Only in Quick Knowledge Answer0

None

Only in Verified Knowledge Answer0

None

Activities

Aligned on canonical identity, never on a display name.

In both9

Assemble Grounded Contextau-assemble-grounded-context
Embed Queryau-embed-query
Generate Grounded Knowledge Answerau-generate-grounded-knowledge-answer
Interpret Knowledge Requestau-interpret-knowledge-request
Prepare Retrieval Queryau-prepare-retrieval-query
Rerank Candidatesau-rerank-candidates
Revise Grounded Knowledge Answerau-revise-grounded-knowledge-answer
Search Enterprise Knowledgeau-search-enterprise-knowledge
Verify Grounded Knowledge Answerau-verify-grounded-knowledge-answer

Only in Quick Knowledge Answer0

None

Only in Verified Knowledge Answer0

None