Word to Knowledge Base · Your App Cloud
Turn a Word handbook into a knowledge base
Upload the Word document and plan the split: Heading 1 chapters as sections, Heading 2 topics as articles, and 'see section' references as links. Then give every article an owner and a review date.
From handbook to articles people find.
Fix the outline in Word, decide where one article ends and the next begins, then test links, owners and access in the preview.
01
Read the outline Word shows you
Open the Navigation pane from Word's View tab. Every chapter and topic should appear there at the right level. Anything missing is probably bold text, so apply a heading style on a copy or list it in your prompt.
02
Choose where articles split
Upload the file and say which heading level starts a new article, usually Heading 2. Name the chapters to leave out, such as an old policy, and the chapters only some readers may open.
03
Assign owners, then click through
Give each article an owner and a review date. In the preview, open every former 'see section' link and search for three terms staff use. Then sign in with a test account that shouldn't see a restricted chapter.
Where each part of the handbook ends up.
Each row starts with something most long Word handbooks contain. The last column is what to check before staff rely on it.
| In your handbook | In your knowledge base | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Heading 1 chapters, such as Leave or Travel and expenses | Sections people browse, each listing its articles | Compare the sections with Word's Navigation pane. A chapter missing from that outline was probably typed as bold text rather than given a heading style, so name it in your prompt. |
| Heading 2 and 3 topics, such as Carrying over vacation days | Articles, each answering one question under a clear title | Open two long topics and two short ones. Confirm none was cut off mid-list, and that a two-line topic did not end up as an article with almost nothing in it. |
| 'See section 4.2' and 'see page 17' | Links that open the article on that topic | Search the document for 'see section', 'see page' and 'above' before you upload. Then click each link in the preview. A page number means nothing once the handbook is split. |
| The table of contents at the front | Left out, because section navigation and search do its job | Make sure the contents list did not become an article. Compare its entries with the sections to catch a chapter that went missing. |
| A revision table, or a 'Last reviewed' date on the cover | An owner field and a review-date field on every article | One date usually covers the whole document. Decide whether each article starts with that date or stays blank until its owner has read it. |
| An FAQ chapter at the back | Question articles, titled with the question itself | Keep each question in the words staff use, such as 'Can I carry over unused days?', and link it to the policy article with the full rule. |
| A chapter for some readers only, such as For managers | Articles behind sign-in, with the access you describe for that chapter | Sign in with a test account that isn't a manager. Search for a word from the managers' chapter and confirm neither the article nor its title shows up. |
| Forms in the appendix, such as an expense report form | A file attached to the article that needs it | Attach the form people really fill in today, not the copy pasted into the handbook years ago, and check the download opens. |
Tidy the copy before it becomes articles.
A handbook that has passed through many editors keeps leftovers: suggested edits, reviewer comments, headings typed in bold and the same rule stated twice. Clear them on a copy of the file so none of them turns into policy.
Bring the file and its readers
The Word document itself, plus a few sentences on who reads it, such as all staff, managers or new hires, and which chapters you already know are out of date.
Settle tracked changes and comments
Suggested edits can still sit in the file as colored underlines and strikethrough, even with Track Changes off. Accept or reject each one. Then run Inspect Document on the copy to find leftover comments and hidden text.
Headings that are only bold
Word builds its Navigation pane and table of contents from heading styles, and the pane skips headings inside tables or text boxes. Give those titles a heading style, or list them in your prompt.
One rule, stated once
Look for a policy stated in two places, such as a notice period in both the Leave chapter and an appendix. Say which one is current, and delete or mark the other before you upload.
An illustrative starting point
A handbook people can search.
Chapters as sections, topics as articles with an owner and a review date, and 'see section' references as links you click through.
Articles sized to one question
If you split at Heading 2, Carrying over vacation days should get a short article of its own instead of a passage on page 23. Search for it in the preview and check that it comes up, filed under its chapter.
Links where the section numbers were
Ask for 'see section 4.2' to link to the overtime article, so no number needs correcting when a chapter moves. Click each link once in the preview to confirm it opens the article it names.
An owner and a date on every article
For example, the HR lead owns Leave and the office manager owns Travel. A scheduled task can email each owner the articles past their review date. Test that message first; the owner still decides what changes.
Staff-only when it needs to be
Keep the handbook behind sign-in, with the access you describe for each section, and check it with a test account. Sign-in, in-app editing by article owners and a question box all need a backend.
Together in your app cloud
The pieces behind the possibility.
Choose the models and services that support the experience you want to create.
Database
Keep data and context for apps and agents
Authentication
Give the right people access
File storage
A home for your documents and media
Language models
Reason, write, and understand
A little more context
Good questions.
My handbook's headings are just bold text. Does that matter?
It does. Word's Navigation pane and table of contents list only text with a heading style, so a bold-only title is missing from both. That outline is your quickest way to plan and check the split. On a copy, select each chapter title and choose Heading 1 from the Styles gallery on Word's Home tab, and Heading 2 for topics. Or list the headings in your prompt. Then compare the sections in the preview with that outline.
What happens to references like 'see section 4.2'?
Once chapters become separate articles, section numbers and page numbers stop meaning much. Ask for each reference to become a link to the article it names. Where the wording is vague, such as 'see above', say which article it means. Then click every link in the preview.
How long should each article be?
Aim for one question per article. A long topic like Submitting expenses often hides several: what you can claim, how to submit and when you are paid back. Split it at those questions. A two-line topic can stay inside its neighbor instead of standing alone.
Can the knowledge base stay staff-only?
Yes, behind sign-in. Describe who can open each section, for example managers only for the approvals chapter. Then sign in as a staff member without that access and confirm the managers' articles are missing from search results as well as from the menu.
Can people ask it questions in their own words?
You can add a question box that uses a language model to answer from the handbook's articles. Ask for each answer to link the article it used. Test it with a question the handbook answers and one it doesn't, and read the linked article before trusting a reply. Model usage is metered separately.
When a policy changes, do we edit Word or the knowledge base?
Choose one. An upload is a snapshot, so later edits to the Word file don't reach the app. If owners edit articles in the app, stop updating the document. If the handbook must stay a Word file, make each re-import a deliberate step: name the chapter that changed, click through its links, and confirm the other articles kept their owners and dates.
Can the people who own each chapter help keep it current?
Yes, as editors in the published knowledge base: give each owner a sign-in that can change their chapter's articles, for example the HR lead who owns Leave. The staff who sign in to read get less, and you check that access yourself.
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Build an AI knowledge base ↗
See the outcome and the capabilities behind it.
Plan a handbook knowledge app ↗
A short planning read: separate policies from procedures, then try a question the handbook answers and one it doesn't.
Understand data and context ↗
Give information the right place in your app.
Prepare to publish ↗
Check the experience you will share.
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