Definition
The protocol for mapping raw byte sequences from heterogeneous data sources into a standardized text format (typically UTF-8) to ensure tokenizers and embedding models correctly interpret semantic meaning. In RAG pipelines, improper character encoding leads to 'mojibake' or corrupted tokens, which degrades retrieval accuracy and causes agentic failures during tool-use parsing.
Not about data encryption or vector embeddings; it is the raw byte-to-text translation layer in the ETL process.
"A Rosetta Stone for file bytes that ensures the RAG pipeline reads 'café' as a location rather than 'café' as nonsensical noise."
- Tokenization(Successor process that requires correctly encoded text to generate valid sub-word units.)
- Normalization(Component that standardizes Unicode forms (e.g., NFC vs NFD) after encoding to ensure retrieval consistency.)
- ETL (Extract, Transform, Load)(The broader pipeline stage where character encoding detection and conversion occurs.)
Conceptual Overview
The protocol for mapping raw byte sequences from heterogeneous data sources into a standardized text format (typically UTF-8) to ensure tokenizers and embedding models correctly interpret semantic meaning. In RAG pipelines, improper character encoding leads to 'mojibake' or corrupted tokens, which degrades retrieval accuracy and causes agentic failures during tool-use parsing.
Disambiguation
Not about data encryption or vector embeddings; it is the raw byte-to-text translation layer in the ETL process.
Visual Analog
A Rosetta Stone for file bytes that ensures the RAG pipeline reads 'café' as a location rather than 'café' as nonsensical noise.