Creating an Application
Only Super Admins can create new knowledge bases in Genie. Once created, the creator automatically becomes the KB Creator and can manage the application — invite users, add documents, etc.
Who can create an application?
You must be a member of the Super Admin Entra group. If you don't see the + CREATE APPLICATION button on the Apps Dashboard, you don't have this role.
How to request the Super Admin role
The formal flow (per the Authorization Concept) is:
In practice, the fastest entry point is to email Support at dsoftwaredevs@dpdhl.onmicrosoft.com with:
- Your full name and DHL email
- A short business case (why you need to create knowledge bases)
- Your line manager's name (for the approval chain)
The Genie team routes the request to the Application Owner, who initiates the DHL IT access management process. Once the Identity Provider administrator adds you to the Super Admin Entra group, sign out and back in for your access token to pick up the new role.
Super Admin is a sensitive role because KB creation has cost implications (Azure AI Search index entries, storage) and gives the creator full control over the KB and its contents. Approval requires a business justification — it is not granted automatically.
The 3-step wizard
Click + CREATE APPLICATION on the Apps Dashboard. You'll see a wizard with three numbered steps:
You can move forward with Next and back with Previous. The wizard validates the current step before letting you advance.
Step 1 — Application Information
| Field | Required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application Name | Yes | Max 100 characters. Two KBs can have the same name (uniqueness is by internal ID). |
| Description | No | Max 300 characters. Shown in the Apps Dashboard "Summary" column. |
In edit mode (/apps/{id}/edit), three extra read-only rows appear: Creation Date, Number of Users, Number of User Groups.
The name is what users see in the KB selector dropdown when chatting. Use short, descriptive names like "HR Policies" or "Italy Warehouse SOPs" rather than internal project codes.
Step 2 — Users
This is where you decide who can use the KB. Two ways to add people:
Add an individual user
- In the Search User Name or Email autocomplete, start typing a name or DHL email.
- Pick the matching person from the dropdown (data comes from Microsoft Entra ID).
- Choose their role:
- 👑 Owner — full management rights on this KB (can edit users, upload docs, approve join requests). Becomes a KB Admin.
- 👀 Reader — can chat with the KB but cannot manage it.
- Click + Add.
Add a group
- In the Search Group Name autocomplete, start typing an Entra group name.
- Pick the matching group.
- Click + Add.
There is no "Owner" role for groups — every member of an added group gets Reader permissions only. To grant admin to a specific person, add them as an individual user with Owner role on top.
The user/group table
Everyone you've added shows up in the table below the inputs, with Name, Email and a × remove button. Note:
- The KB creator cannot be removed from their own KB.
- To change someone's role, re-add them with the new role — the existing row updates.
Validation
You must add at least one user or group before you can advance to Step 3.
Step 3 — Knowledge Base (initial document)
Upload the first document into the KB:
- Drag a file into the upload zone (label: "Click to upload document or drag & drop") or click to pick a file.
- Only PDF files are accepted. Selecting any other type triggers the toast "Only PDF files can be uploaded. Please select a PDF file." — even though the backend itself accepts additional formats, the UI is hard-restricted to PDF.
- The upload zone shows the active per-file size limit (e.g., "PDF file up to 100 MB"). The exact number is environment-controlled — the default is 100 MB, and enterprise environments allow larger files.
- The filename appears with an × if you want to remove it before uploading.
- Click Submit to upload.
You'll see an upload progress bar 0–100%. After the upload completes, the file enters the processing pipeline — see Uploading Documents for the full lifecycle.
You can also leave Step 3 empty and add documents later from the same edit view.
After submission
Once you click Submit on Step 3 (or Save Changes in edit mode), Genie:
- Creates the KB record in the database
- Uploads the file to secure blob storage
- Queues the document for processing
- Redirects you back to the edit view (
/apps/{id}/edit?step=3)
You see a toast: App created successfully! or App edited successfully!.
The KB is immediately visible to the assigned users and groups. Documents take a few minutes to be searchable while processing runs.
Editing an existing app
To edit an existing KB you own, go to the Apps Dashboard and click the ✏️ edit pencil in the Action column. The same 3-step wizard opens with the current values pre-filled.
In edit mode:
- Cancel / Save Changes buttons appear on Steps 1 and 2.
- Unsaved changes prompt: if you try to navigate away with unsaved edits, a dialog titled "Unsaved changes" appears with the message "If you continue, your changes will be lost." and two buttons — Stay to remain on the page and Continue to discard your edits.
What's NOT on this wizard
To keep expectations straight:
- No prompt template editor — Genie uses a standard system prompt for all KBs.
- No retrieval/ranking settings — defaults are tuned for general use.
- No privacy/visibility toggle — every KB is private to its assigned users.
- No tags or categories.
- No file ingestion configuration (chunk size, etc.) — handled internally.
Related
- User Management — managing users after creation
- Uploading Documents — adding files to an existing KB
- Pending Requests — approving access requests