Start with requirements
Identify workload shape, correctness needs, latency targets, scale, and operational constraints before selecting technology.
AI MODEL CUSTOMIZATION / SYSTEM CONCEPT BRIEF
Fine-tuning vs RAG
Choose prompting, retrieval, tuning, and routing for the constraint.
Phase 13 / Topic 12 of 18RequirementsTrade-offsFailure modes
The full written guide for Fine-tuning vs RAG is being prepared.
Complete guides include explanation, worked examples, code in multiple languages, complexity, common mistakes, interview questions, and practice problems. Until then, use the study framework below.
READ NOW IN THIS PHASELoRA
Draw the data path
Follow one request from entry to storage and back. Mark ownership, state transitions, and every network boundary.
Model failure
Ask what degrades, how failure is detected, and whether recovery preserves the guarantees users depend on.
Measure the outcome
Connect the design to throughput, tail latency, errors, saturation, availability, and cost.
ACTIVE RECALL
Turn the concept into a skill.
Scope
Write functional requirements, scale estimates, and two explicit non-goals.
Design
Draw the critical request and data paths before adding secondary components.
Challenge
Remove one dependency, overload another, and explain detection and recovery.