Data
Data in MadMax
The three kinds of durable data — stores, AI memory, and knowledge bases — what each is for and when to reach for which.
Workflows pass payloads step to step, but payloads die with the run. For data that outlives a run, MadMax has three purpose-built homes, all managed in Settings → data:
| what it holds | written by | read by | reach for it when | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data stores | structured rows with a schema, keyed | save to store steps | get from store, the REST API | workflows produce/consume records: results, caches, work queues |
| AI memory | conversation turns, per session | the AI agent automatically | the same agent, next run | an agent should remember prior exchanges ("as I said yesterday…") |
| Knowledge bases | your documents, chunked + embedded | you, by uploading | agents, by semantic retrieval | an agent should answer from your documents |
The shorthand:
- Stores are tables. Deterministic reads and writes, schema enforced, external API. If you'd reach for a spreadsheet or a database table, it's a store.
- Memory is a chat log. The agent recalls the last N turns of a conversation, scoped by a session key. If the requirement sounds like "remember what this user said", it's memory.
- Knowledge is a library. Documents in, relevant excerpts out at question time. If the requirement sounds like "answer based on our docs/policies/manuals", it's a knowledge base.
They compose: a support agent might retrieve the refund policy (knowledge), recall this customer's previous complaint (memory), and look up their order (store) — in one step.