Attachment Search Guide

This guide covers the attachment search capabilities of the QDrant Loader MCP Server, enabling you to find and work with file attachments across your knowledge base with AI assistance.

🎯 Overview

The attachment search tool specializes in finding file attachments and their associated documents. It's designed for knowledge bases that include:

  • PDF documents with extracted text content
  • Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
  • Images with OCR text extraction
  • Code files and configuration files
  • Data files (CSV, JSON, YAML)

Key Benefits

  • Content Extraction: Searches inside file contents, not just filenames
  • Parent Context: Understands the relationship between attachments and their parent documents
  • File Type Intelligence: Optimized search for different file formats
  • Metadata Awareness: Searches file properties, authors, and creation dates

📎 How Attachment Search Works

File Processing Pipeline

File Attachment
    ↓
1. Content Extraction (text, metadata)
    ↓
2. OCR Processing (for images)
    ↓
3. Structure Analysis (for structured files)
    ↓
4. Vector Embedding (semantic search)
    ↓
5. Parent Context Integration
    ↓
6. Searchable Attachment Index

Search Process

Query: "architecture diagrams"
    ↓
1. Semantic Search (find relevant attachments)
    ↓
2. File Type Filtering (images, PDFs)
    ↓
3. Content Analysis (OCR text, metadata)
    ↓
4. Parent Context (associated documents)
    ↓
5. Ranked Results (by relevance and file type)

🔧 Attachment Search Parameters

Available Parameters

{
  "name": "attachment_search",
  "parameters": {
    "query": "string",              // Required: Search query
    "limit": 10,                    // Optional: Number of results (default: 10)
    "include_parent_context": true, // Optional: Include parent document info (default: true)
    "attachment_filter": {          // Optional: Attachment-specific filters
      "attachments_only": true,     // Show only file attachments
      "parent_document_title": "API Documentation", // Filter by parent document title
      "file_type": "pdf",           // Filter by file type (e.g., 'pdf', 'xlsx', 'png')
      "file_size_min": 1024,        // Minimum file size in bytes
      "file_size_max": 10485760,    // Maximum file size in bytes
      "author": "data-team"         // Filter by attachment author
    }
  }
}

Parameter Details

Required Parameters

  • query (string): The search query in natural language

Optional Parameters

  • limit (integer): Maximum number of results to return (default: 10)
  • include_parent_context (boolean): Include parent document information (default: true)

Attachment Filter Options

  • attachments_only (boolean): Show only file attachments
  • parent_document_title (string): Filter by parent document title
  • file_type (string): Filter by file type (e.g., 'pdf', 'xlsx', 'png')
  • file_size_min (integer): Minimum file size in bytes
  • file_size_max (integer): Maximum file size in bytes
  • author (string): Filter by attachment author

📁 Supported File Types

Document Files

PDF Documents (.pdf)

  • Content: Full text extraction
  • Metadata: Title, author, creation date, page count
  • Features: OCR for scanned PDFs, table extraction
  • Use Cases: Reports, manuals, specifications
{
  "file_type": "pdf",
  "content_extracted": "System Architecture Overview...",
  "metadata": {
    "pages": 42,
    "author": "Architecture Team",
    "created": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
    "title": "Microservices Architecture Guide"
  }
}

Microsoft Word (.docx, .doc)

  • Content: Text, headers, tables, comments
  • Metadata: Author, last modified, word count
  • Features: Style preservation, comment extraction
  • Use Cases: Documentation, procedures, templates

Microsoft Excel (.xlsx, .xls)

  • Content: Cell data, formulas, sheet names
  • Metadata: Author, sheet count, last modified
  • Features: Multi-sheet support, formula analysis
  • Use Cases: Data analysis, metrics, configurations

Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx, .ppt)

  • Content: Slide text, notes, titles
  • Metadata: Author, slide count, presentation title
  • Features: Speaker notes, slide structure
  • Use Cases: Presentations, training materials

Image Files

PNG/JPEG Images (.png, .jpg, .jpeg)

  • Content: OCR text extraction
  • Metadata: Dimensions, creation date, camera info
  • Features: Text recognition, diagram analysis
  • Use Cases: Screenshots, diagrams, charts

SVG Graphics (.svg)

  • Content: Text elements, metadata
  • Metadata: Dimensions, creation tool
  • Features: Vector text extraction
  • Use Cases: Diagrams, icons, flowcharts

Data Files

CSV Files (.csv)

  • Content: Column headers, data structure
  • Metadata: Row count, column count
  • Features: Schema analysis, data profiling
  • Use Cases: Data exports, configurations

JSON Files (.json)

  • Content: Structure analysis, key extraction
  • Metadata: File size, structure depth
  • Features: Schema validation, nested data
  • Use Cases: API responses, configurations

YAML Files (.yaml, .yml)

  • Content: Configuration structure, values
  • Metadata: File size, key count
  • Features: Configuration analysis
  • Use Cases: Config files, CI/CD definitions

Code Files

Source Code (.py, .js, .java, .cpp)

  • Content: Code structure, comments, functions
  • Metadata: Line count, language, encoding
  • Features: Syntax analysis, documentation extraction
  • Use Cases: Code examples, libraries

🔍 Search Examples and Use Cases

1. Finding Specific File Types

Architecture Diagrams

Query: "system architecture diagrams"
Parameters: {
  "attachment_filter": {
    "file_type": "pdf"
  }
}

Results:
1. 📄 system-architecture-v2.pdf (2.3 MB)
   Parent: Architecture Documentation
   Content: "Microservices architecture with API gateway, service mesh..."
   Author: Architecture Team

2. 📄 database-schema.pdf (1.1 MB)
   Parent: Database Design
   Content: "User Table, Product Table, Order Table, Foreign Keys..."
   Author: Database Team

Performance Reports

Query: "performance benchmarks and metrics"
Parameters: {
  "attachment_filter": {
    "file_type": "xlsx"
  }
}

Results:
1. 📊 q4-performance-report.xlsx (1.2 MB)
   Parent: Quarterly Reports
   Content: "API Performance, Database Metrics, User Analytics"
   Author: Performance Team

2. 📊 daily-metrics.xlsx (456 KB)
   Parent: Monitoring Dashboard
   Content: "Response times, throughput, error rates"
   Author: DevOps Team

2. Content-Based Search

Finding Specific Information

Query: "API rate limits and throttling policies"
Parameters: {
  "limit": 10
}

Results:
1. 📄 api-rate-limiting-policy.pdf (1.8 MB)
   Parent: API Documentation
   Content: "Rate limiting is implemented using a token bucket algorithm..."

2. 📄 rate-limit-config.yaml (12 KB)
   Parent: Configuration Files
   Content: "default_rate: 1000/hour, premium_rate: 5000/hour..."

3. 📄 throttling-implementation.docx (890 KB)
   Parent: Development Guidelines
   Content: "Implementation guide for rate limiting middleware..."

Technical Specifications

Query: "database schema and table structures"
Parameters: {
  "limit": 15
}

Results:
1. 📄 database-schema.sql (45 KB)
   Parent: Database Documentation
   Content: "CREATE TABLE users (id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, email VARCHAR..."

2. 🖼️ erd-diagram.png (1.1 MB)
   Parent: Database Design
   Content: "Users, Products, Orders, Payments, Relationships..."

3. 📊 table-documentation.xlsx (567 KB)
   Parent: Database Documentation
   Content: "Complete schema documentation with tables, columns, indexes"

3. Author and Date Filtering

Recent Updates by Team

Query: "deployment procedures"
Parameters: {
  "attachment_filter": {
    "author": "devops-team"
  }
}

Results:
1. 📄 deployment-runbook-v3.pdf (2.1 MB)
   Author: devops-team
   Parent: Operations Documentation
   Content: "Updated deployment procedures for Kubernetes..."

2. 📄 rollback-procedures.docx (678 KB)
   Author: devops-team
   Parent: Emergency Procedures
   Content: "Step-by-step rollback process for production..."

Large Documents

Query: "comprehensive documentation"
Parameters: {
  "attachment_filter": {
    "file_size_min": 1048576  // Files larger than 1MB
  }
}

Results:
1. 📄 complete-api-specification.pdf (5.2 MB)
   Parent: API Documentation
   Content: "Complete REST API specification with examples..."

2. 📄 system-architecture-guide.pdf (3.8 MB)
   Parent: Architecture Documentation
   Content: "Comprehensive system architecture documentation..."

🔧 Advanced Attachment Features

1. Content Extraction and Analysis

Text Extraction

The tool extracts and indexes various types of content:

PDF Content:
"To deploy the application to production, first ensure all dependencies 
are installed and the database migrations have been applied..."

Excel Data:
"Server response times: 95th percentile: 250ms, 99th percentile: 500ms
Database query performance: Average: 45ms, Max: 2.3s"

Image OCR:
"System Architecture Diagram
Web Layer → API Gateway → Microservices
Database Layer: PostgreSQL, Redis Cache"

Code Comments:
"# Configuration for production deployment
# This script handles the complete deployment pipeline
# including database migrations and service restarts"

Metadata Extraction

Rich metadata is extracted and made searchable:

{
  "filename": "api-performance-analysis.xlsx",
  "file_type": "xlsx",
  "size": 2457600,
  "author": "performance-team",
  "parent_document": "Performance Testing Results",
  "attachment_context": "File: api-performance-analysis.xlsx | Size: 2.3 MB | Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet | Author: performance-team"
}

2. Parent Context Integration

Results include context from the parent document:

Attachment: database-migration-script.sql
Parent Document: "Database Schema Updates v2.1"
Parent Context: "This migration script updates the user table schema to 
support new authentication features. Run this script during the 
maintenance window scheduled for Saturday 2AM UTC. Ensure you have 
a backup before proceeding..."

Related Attachments:
- rollback-script.sql (in same parent document)
- migration-test-results.pdf (in same parent document)
- schema-diff.png (visual comparison)

3. File Relationship Analysis

The tool understands relationships between files:

Primary File: system-architecture.pdf
Related Files:
├── 📄 architecture-details.docx (detailed specifications)
├── 🖼️ component-diagram.png (visual representation)
├── 📊 performance-requirements.xlsx (technical requirements)
├── 📄 implementation-plan.pdf (development roadmap)
└── 📄 security-considerations.md (security analysis)

Relationship Types:
- Supplementary: Provides additional detail
- Visual: Graphical representation
- Data: Supporting metrics and requirements
- Implementation: How to build it
- Analysis: Security and risk assessment

🎯 Optimization Strategies

1. Query Optimization

File-Type Specific Queries

✅ "Find Excel files with performance metrics"
✅ "Show me PDF documents about deployment"
✅ "Search for architecture diagrams in PNG format"

❌ "performance"
❌ "deployment"
❌ "architecture"

Content-Specific Queries

✅ "Find documents containing database schema definitions"
✅ "Show me files with API endpoint documentation"
✅ "Search for configuration files with rate limiting settings"

2. Filter Optimization

File Size Filtering

{
  "attachment_filter": {
    "file_size_min": 1024,        // Exclude tiny files
    "file_size_max": 52428800     // Exclude files larger than 50MB
  }
}

Author Filtering

{
  "attachment_filter": {
    "author": "architecture-team"   // Specific team
  }
}

3. Performance Optimization

Limit File Types

{
  "attachment_filter": {
    "file_type": "pdf",           // Only search specific types
    "attachments_only": true      // Skip parent document content
  }
}

Control Result Size

{
  "limit": 5                      // Fewer results for faster response
}

🎨 Result Interpretation

Understanding Attachment Results

File Information

📄 api-documentation.pdf (2.3 MB)
├── 📊 Metadata
│   ├── Author: technical-writing-team
│   ├── File Type: application/pdf
│   └── Size: 2.3 MB
├── 🔍 Content Preview
│   └── "This document provides comprehensive API documentation..."
├── 📁 Parent Context
│   ├── Document: API Reference Guide
│   └── Section: Complete API Documentation
└── 🔗 Related Files
    ├── api-examples.json
    ├── postman-collection.json
    └── api-changelog.md

Similarity Scoring

Attachment search uses specialized similarity scoring:

Content Similarity: 0.89    (text content match)
Metadata Similarity: 0.76   (file properties match)
Context Similarity: 0.82    (parent document relevance)
Overall Score: 0.85         (weighted combination)

Quality Indicators

High-Quality Results

  • High content similarity (>0.8)
  • Rich metadata (author, creation date, etc.)
  • Clear parent context (well-documented source)
  • Appropriate file size (not too small or large)

Lower-Quality Results

  • Low content similarity (<0.6)
  • Missing metadata (unknown author, no dates)
  • Orphaned files (no clear parent context)
  • Unusual file sizes (very small or very large)

🔗 Integration with Other Search Tools

Combining Search Strategies

Query: "deployment procedures"
→ Find general documentation about deployment

2. Use Attachment Search for Details

Query: "deployment scripts and configurations"
Parameters: {
  "attachment_filter": {
    "file_type": "yaml"
  }
}
→ Find specific implementation files

3. Use Hierarchy Search for Context

Query: "deployment documentation structure"
→ Understand how deployment docs are organized

Multi-Tool Workflow

1. Semantic Search: "API authentication methods"
   → Understand authentication concepts

2. Attachment Search: "authentication configuration files"
   → Find implementation details

3. Hierarchy Search: "authentication documentation structure"
   → See how auth docs are organized

4. Attachment Search: "authentication examples and code"
   → Find practical examples

🔗 Related Documentation

📋 Attachment Search Checklist

  • [ ] Understand file types in your knowledge base
  • [ ] Use file-type specific queries for targeted search
  • [ ] Apply appropriate filters (size, author, file type)
  • [ ] Include parent context for complete understanding
  • [ ] Check file metadata for quality and relevance
  • [ ] Combine with other search tools for comprehensive results
  • [ ] Optimize performance with appropriate limits

Unlock the hidden knowledge in your files! 📎

Attachment search reveals the wealth of information stored in your files - from detailed specifications in PDFs to data insights in spreadsheets to visual knowledge in diagrams. By understanding how to search and interpret file attachments, you can access the complete picture of your knowledge base.

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