Building RAG Apps Using MongoDB - Workshop Guide

Large Language Models (LLMs) are powerful for answering general questions, but how do you make them smart about your organization’s data? That’s where Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) comes in.
In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn the foundational concepts of RAG including chunking, embedding, and semantic search and then apply them to build an end-to-end chatbot powered by MongoDB Atlas and open-source LLMs.
💻 This is a code-along session! You’ll be provided with all the resources you need, including:

• A GitHub repo of Jupyter Notebook templates with pseudocode
• Step-by-step guidance to implement your own RAG app
• Opportunities to explore more advanced techniques like vector pre-filtering and re-ranking

At the end of the workshop, you’ll not only walk away with a functional RAG system but also earn a skill badge 🎖️ to showcase your expertise to your network.

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## Learning Goals & Objectives

By the end of the session, you’ll be able to:
✅ Understand the foundations of RAG (chunking, embedding, semantic search)
✅ Perform semantic search queries against a MongoDB Atlas collection
✅ Build a RAG system with MongoDB Atlas + open-source LLMs
✅ Add memory to your RAG app
✅ (Advanced) Enhance retrieval using pre-filtering and re-ranking
Practical Outcomes:

• Use MongoDB as both a vector store and a memory provider for RAG
• Build production-ready AI applications powered by MongoDB
• Improve existing RAG systems using advanced retrieval techniques

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## Agenda

🕙 10:00 AM – 10:30 AM → Check-in, Networking & Setup
🕥 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM → Introduction to LLMs & RAG Concepts
🕚 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM → Chunking, Embeddings & Semantic Search with MongoDB Atlas
🕛 11:45 AM – 12:45 PM → Hands-On: Building a RAG Chatbot (Code Along)
🍴 12:45 PM – 1:30 PM → Lunch Break + Community Networking
🕐 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM → Adding Memory, Pre-Filtering, and Re-Ranking (Advanced Enhancements)
🕑 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM → Skill Badge Challenge: Check Your Learning
🕞 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM → Wrap-Up, Q&A, and Closing

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## Key Takeaway

This isn’t just a talk—it’s a hands-on build session. Come ready to code, learn, and leave with both a working RAG app and a MongoDB Skill Badge you can proudly share on LinkedIn. 🚀