When does class start/end?
Class hours may vary, please reach out to contact@ascendientlearning.com if you have any questions.
Building RAG Agents with LLMs
Agents powered by large language models (LLMs) are quickly gaining popularity from both individuals and companies as people are finding new emerging capabilities and opportunities to greatly improve...
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$500 USD
Duration
1 day
Course Code
NV-RAG-A-LLM
Available Formats
Classroom
Overview
Agents powered by large language models (LLMs) are quickly gaining popularity from both individuals and companies as people are finding new emerging capabilities and opportunities to greatly improve their productivity. An especially powerful recent development has been the popularization of retrieval-based LLM systems that can hold informed conversations by using tools, looking at documents, and planning their approaches. These systems are very fun to experiment with and offer unprecedented opportunities to make life easier, but also require many queries to large deep learning models and need to be implemented efficiently.
You will be designing retrieval-augmented generation systems and bundling them into deliverable formats. Along the way, you will learn advanced LLM composition techniques for internal reasoning, dialog management, and tooling.
Skills Gained
By participating in this workshop, you'll learn how to:
- Compose an LLM system that can interact predictably with a user by leveraging internal and external reasoning components.
- Design a dialog management and document reasoning system that maintains state and coerces information into structured formats.
- Leverage embedding models for efficient similarity queries for content retrieval and dialog guardrailing.
- Implement, modularize, and evaluate a retrieval-augmented generation agent that can answer questions about the research papers in its dataset without any fine-tuning.
Prerequisites
- Introductory deep learning, with comfort with PyTorch and transfer learning preferred. Content covered by "Getting Started with Deep Learning" or "Fundamentals of Deep Learning" courses or similar experience is sufficient.
- Intermediate Python experience, including object-oriented programming and libraries. Content covered by Python Tutorial (w3schools.com) or similar experience is sufficient.
Course Details
Workshop Outline
Introduction
LLM Inference Interfaces
- Get comfortable with the course environment and learn about microservices for software compartmentalization and resource delivery.
- Discuss LLM service options for inference use-cases, including local and scalable deployment strategies and value propositions.
- Get comfortable with remotely-accessible access points like GPT4 and NGC-hosted NVIDIA AI Foundation Model endpoints.
Pipeline Design with LangChain, Gradio, and LangServe
- Learn how to use LangChain to chain multiple LLM-enabled modules using the functional LangChain Expression Language (LCEL) syntax.
- Formalize internal/external reasoning and modularize them into runnables.
- Use LangServe to interact with a Gradio frontend by sending an LLM chain over a port interface.
Dialog Management with Running States
- Learn about running state logic to retain state as your chain runs.
- Leverage knowledge extraction via slot filling to keep a smart knowledge base.
- Integrate a dialog managing chatbot to coerce the user for credentials, retrieve info from a database interface, and maintain dialog state.
Working with Documents
- Learn about document chunking, reduction, and refinement strategies.
- Use the same LLM chaining skills to build systems that summarize research papers by exporting a while-loop-enabled runnable.
Embeddings for Semantic Similarity and Guardrailing
- Formalize encoder-vs-decoder benefits and understand how embedding logic works.
- Use vector representations to reason about passage meanings and similarity.
- Design a guardrailing system that leverages a custom-build input rail to answer a question or kindly refuse.
Vector Stores for RAG Agents
- Formalize vector stores as structures that help automate vector reasoning logic.
- Incorporate vector stores into retrieval-augmented generation pipelines that reason about conversation history and preprocessed document pools.
Evaluation, Assessment, and Q&A
Schedule
FAQ
Does the course schedule include a Lunchbreak?
Classes typically include a 1-hour lunch break around midday. However, the exact break times and duration can vary depending on the specific class. Your instructor will provide detailed information at the start of the course.
What languages are used to deliver training?
Most courses are conducted in English, unless otherwise specified. Some courses will have the word "FRENCH" marked in red beside the scheduled date(s) indicating the language of instruction.
What does GTR stand for?
GTR stands for Guaranteed to Run; if you see a course with this status, it means this event is confirmed to run. View our GTR page to see our full list of Guaranteed to Run courses.
How do I find an Ascendient Learning training location?
We have training locations across the United States and Canada - View a complete list of classroom training locations.
Which delivery formats are available?
At Ascendient Learning, we offer training that is Instructor-Led, Online, Virtual, and Self-Paced.
Does Ascendient Learning deliver group training?
Yes, we provide training for groups, individuals and private on sites. View our group training page for more information.
What does vendor-authorized training mean?
As a vendor-authorized training partner, we offer a curriculum that our partners have vetted. We use the same course materials and facilitate the same labs as our vendor-delivered training. These courses are considered the gold standard and, as such, are priced accordingly.
Is the training too basic, or will you go deep into technology?
It depends on your requirements, your role in your company, and your depth of knowledge. The good news about many of our learning paths, you can start from the fundamentals to highly specialized training.
How up-to-date are your courses and support materials?
We continuously work with our vendors to evaluate and refresh course material to reflect the latest training courses and best practices.
Are your instructors seasoned trainers who have deep knowledge of the training topic?
Ascendient Learning instructors have an average of 27 years of practical IT experience and have also served as consultants for an average of 15 years. To stay current, instructors spend at least 25 percent of their time learning new, emerging technologies and courses.
Do you provide hands-on training and exercises in an actual lab environment?
Lab access is dependent on the vendor and the type of training you sign up for. However, many of our top vendors will provide lab access to students to test and practice. The course description will specify lab access.
Will you customize the training for our company’s specific needs and goals?
We will work with you to identify training needs and areas of growth. We offer a variety of training methods, such as private group training, on-site of your choice, and virtually. We provide courses and certifications that are aligned with your business goals.
How do I get started with certification?
Getting started on a certification pathway depends on your goals and the vendor you choose to get certified in. Many vendors offer entry-level IT certification to advanced IT certification that can boost your career. To get access to certification vouchers and discounts, please contact info@ascendientlearning.com.
Will I get access to content after I complete a course?
You will get access to the PDF of course books and guides, but access to the recording and slides will depend on the vendor and type of training you receive.
How do I request a W9 for Ascendient Learning?
View our filing status and how to request a W9.
Reviews
Quick to sign-up to course, and was able to garner some information from the course.
Exit certified was great as it is very in depth and hands on learning which made it very easy to learn this type of work.
the interface was super easy to use and the instructions to get ready for the course was also very simple and easy to understand.
Courseware was effective but would like to have some PDF material on BPML and XPATH
Overall ExitCertified is a great training provider and the remote learning is as effective as in person.
