Let’s kick it off with a great one from @Yong Yang:
“If we have two Confluence pages with the same knowledge from different years, how does Rovo decide what’s the latest?”
Short answer: It doesn’t “pick the newest” automatically.
Rovo isn’t scanning your space and saying, “Ah yes, 2024 beats 2022.”
Instead, it uses a retrieval system powered by the Teamwork Graph. That means it pulls content based on:
- Relevance to your query
- Your permissions
- Context (how content is connected, referenced, and used)
If two pages contain similar information… there’s a good chance Rovo retrieves both. Then the model does what it does best: synthesizes an answer across sources.
So where does “recency” come in?
Recency can influence results—but it’s not a guaranteed tie-breaker.
Signals that may help:
- Last updated date
- Page activity
- Links from other pages
- General usage patterns
But none of these override everything else. If an older page is still highly relevant or well-linked, it can still show up.
Why this matters (more than people think)
This is where things can get messy.
If:
- Your older page still has valid info
- Your newer page reflects updated features
- And both are active
Rovo may blend them together.
That can lead to:
- Slightly outdated answers
- Conflicting guidance
- Confusion for end users
What Champions recommended (and why it works)
There were a few solid takes in the thread:
1. Archive when you can
If a page is no longer the source of truth, archive it. Clean inputs = cleaner outputs.
2. Keep one source of truth
This is still the gold standard. Rovo performs best when your content does too.
3. Guide behavior with Agents
As @Matthias Gaiser _K15t_ pointed out, you can prompt an agent to
“Prefer newer pages and only supplement with older ones.”
This is a practical workaround when archiving isn’t an option.
What’s really happening under the hood
Rovo is doing exactly what modern AI systems are designed to do:
- Retrieve multiple relevant sources
- Weigh signals (including—but not limited to—recency)
- Generate a response that sounds cohesive
That last part is key. The answer may feel unified… even if the sources behind it aren’t.
