Last updated: Nov 17, 2025, 05:25 PM UTC

Sasha Document Management & Setup Guide

Purpose: Simple guide for adding documents to Sasha and understanding how your knowledge becomes instantly searchable
Audience: Business users, document managers, and anyone who needs to work with company knowledge
Time to Setup: 5-10 minutes

What Sasha Does for Your Business

In Simple Terms: Sasha turns your company's documents into an instant-answer AI assistant.

Imagine if you could:

  • Ask "What's our policy on remote work?" and get an instant, accurate answer
  • Say "Find all contracts with pricing clauses" and see them in seconds
  • Request "Create a proposal using our standard format" and have it drafted automatically

That's Sasha - Your company's knowledge, instantly accessible through conversation.

The Key Benefit

Your documents stay exactly where they are - Sasha connects to them, indexes them, and makes them searchable without moving a single file.

How to Add Documents to Sasha

Method 1: File Manager Upload (Easiest)

Perfect for: Adding new documents, reports, or any files you have on your computer

Step-by-Step Guide:

  1. Open Your Sasha Workspace

    • Navigate to your Sasha folder in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac)
    • Look for: Sasha Workspace or Company Knowledge Base

  2. Drag and Drop Your Files

    • Simply drag files from your computer
    • Drop them into the appropriate folder:
      Sasha Workspace/
├── 📁 Policies/       → Company policies and procedures
├── 📁 Contracts/      → Legal documents and agreements
├── 📁 Reports/        → Financial and operational reports
├── 📁 Projects/       → Project documentation
└── 📁 Knowledge/      → General knowledge base

  3. Wait for Processing (2-3 minutes)

    • Sasha automatically detects new files
    • Documents are indexed and made searchable
    • You'll see a when processing is complete

  4. Start Asking Questions!

    • Your documents are now part of Sasha's knowledge
    • Try: "What information do we have about [topic]?"

Supported File Types:

  • Documents: PDF, Word (.docx), PowerPoint (.pptx)
  • Spreadsheets: Excel (.xlsx), CSV
  • Text: Plain text (.txt), Markdown (.md)
  • Emails: .eml, .msg
  • Images: Screenshots and scanned documents (with text)

Method 2: Connect Your Existing Drives

Perfect for: Companies with documents already in cloud storage

Google Drive Setup:

  1. Click "Connect Google Drive" in Sasha settings
  2. Select folders to monitor:
    • Choose specific folders (recommended)
    • Or select entire drive (for smaller organizations)
  3. Set permissions:
    • Sasha only needs read access
    • Your files are never modified or deleted
  4. Automatic syncing begins:
    • New files are indexed within minutes
    • Changes to existing files update automatically

SharePoint/OneDrive Setup:

  1. Click "Connect Microsoft 365" in Sasha settings
  2. Authenticate with your company account
  3. Select SharePoint sites or OneDrive folders
  4. Configure sync frequency:
    • Real-time (recommended)
    • Hourly/Daily for less critical content

Method 3: Watch Folders (Automated)

Perfect for: Regular reports, automated exports, or system-generated documents

  1. Set up a watch folder:

    C:\Company Documents\Auto-Import\    (Windows)
/Users/Shared/SashaImport/           (Mac)

  2. Configure monitoring:

    • Any file added to this folder is automatically processed
    • Perfect for:
      • Daily sales reports
      • Monthly financials
      • System exports
      • Email attachments

  3. Set rules (optional):

    • Process only certain file types
    • Route to specific categories
    • Apply tags automatically

How Pathway Makes Your Documents Searchable

Think of it Like "Google for Your Company"

What is Pathway?

  • A smart indexing system that reads and understands your documents
  • Creates connections between related information
  • Updates instantly when documents change
  • Your data never leaves your control

How It Works (Simple Version):

Your Documents → Pathway Indexing → Searchable Knowledge
     📄              🔄                    💬
   (Stay put)    (Continuous)         (Ask anything)
  1. Documents Stay in Place: No copying, moving, or uploading
  2. Smart Reading: Pathway reads and understands content
  3. Instant Updates: Changes detected within seconds
  4. Natural Questions: Ask in plain English, get precise answers

Real Examples:

Question: "What are our payment terms for enterprise clients?"
Sasha finds:

  • Contract templates with payment clauses
  • Policy documents on billing
  • Recent proposals with payment terms
  • Email discussions about payment policies

Question: "Summarize last quarter's performance"
Sasha provides:

  • Key metrics from financial reports
  • Highlights from board presentations
  • Relevant KPIs from spreadsheets
  • Comparison with previous quarters

Best Practices for Document Organization

Recommended Folder Structure:

Company Knowledge Base/
├── 📁 01_Policies_Procedures/
│   ├── HR_Policies/
│   ├── IT_Security/
│   └── Operations/
├── 📁 02_Client_Projects/
│   ├── Active/
│   └── Archive/
├── 📁 03_Financial_Records/
│   ├── 2024/
│   └── 2025/
├── 📁 04_Templates/
│   ├── Proposals/
│   ├── Contracts/
│   └── Reports/
└── 📁 05_Knowledge_Base/
    ├── Training/
    ├── FAQs/
    └── Best_Practices/

Naming Conventions:

Good Names:

  • 2025-01-15_Board_Meeting_Minutes.pdf
  • Contract_AcmeCorp_2025_Final.docx
  • HR_Policy_Remote_Work_v3.pdf

Avoid:

  • Special characters: Contract#123!@#.pdf
  • Spaces at start/end: document .pdf
  • Generic names: Document1.pdf, Untitled.docx

Security & Privacy

Your Data is Protected:

Security Feature What It Means
Read-Only Access Sasha can never modify or delete your files
No Data Movement Files stay in your control, on your servers
Audit Trail Every query and access is logged
Encryption All data transmission is encrypted
Access Control User permissions mirror your existing setup

Compliance Standards:

  • GDPR compliant (EU data protection)
  • SOC 2 certified (security standards)
  • HIPAA ready (healthcare data)
  • ISO 27001 (information security)

Quick Start Guide

For Business Users (5 minutes):

  1. Create your workspace folder

    • Make a folder called "Sasha Workspace" on your desktop

  2. Add some test documents

    • Drop in 5-10 documents you work with regularly

  3. Wait for indexing

    • Give it 2-3 minutes (you'll see a notification)

  4. Try your first question

    • "What documents do I have about [topic]?"
    • "Summarize the key points from [document name]"
    • "Find all mentions of [specific term]"

For IT Administrators:

  1. Configure Pathway Connection

    pathway_config:
  data_sources:
    - type: local_folder
      path: /shared/documents
    - type: google_drive
      folder_id: [YOUR_FOLDER_ID]
    - type: sharepoint
      site_url: [YOUR_SITE_URL]

  2. Set Permissions

    • Configure read-only access to source folders
    • Set up user groups and access levels
    • Enable audit logging

  3. Monitor Performance

    • Check indexing status dashboard
    • Review query response times
    • Monitor storage usage

Common Questions & Use Cases

Everyday Use Cases:

"Find that document"

  • "Show me the latest marketing strategy"
  • "Find the contract with Acme Corp"
  • "Where is our remote work policy?"

"Answer from documents"

  • "What's our standard payment terms?"
  • "How do we handle customer complaints?"
  • "What was decided in last week's meeting?"

"Create from templates"

  • "Draft a proposal like the one for Client X"
  • "Create a report using our standard format"
  • "Generate meeting notes from today's discussion"

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: How much data can Sasha handle?
A: Unlimited. Pathway scales automatically with your document volume.

Q: How fast are updates reflected?
A: New documents are searchable within 2-3 minutes. Changes to existing documents appear within seconds.

Q: Can I remove documents?
A: Yes. Delete from your folder, and they're removed from Sasha's index immediately.

Q: Is my sensitive data safe?
A: Yes. Sasha uses read-only access, enterprise encryption, and maintains your existing access controls.

Q: What if I upload the wrong document?
A: Simply delete it from the folder. It's removed from the index immediately, and audit logs show who accessed it.

Q: Can Sasha work with scanned documents?
A: Yes! Sasha includes OCR (optical character recognition) to read scanned PDFs and images.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions:

Problem Solution
Documents not appearing Check file type is supported, wait 3 minutes for indexing
Can't connect Google Drive Ensure you have permission to share, try re-authenticating
Slow search results Check internet connection, contact support if persists
Missing information in answers Ensure documents contain the information, check file isn't corrupted
Access denied errors Verify you have permission to access those documents

Getting More Help

Resources:

Next Steps:

  1. Add your first batch of documents
  2. Try 5 different questions
  3. Connect one cloud storage source
  4. Set up a watch folder for regular reports
  5. Share with your team!

Summary

Sasha makes your documents work for you:

  • Easy to add: Drag-and-drop or connect existing storage
  • Instantly searchable: Powered by Pathway's real-time indexing
  • Completely secure: Your data stays under your control
  • Natural interaction: Ask questions in plain English
  • Fast setup: Running in under 10 minutes

Ready to start? Simply drop your first documents into the Sasha Workspace folder and ask your first question!

This guide is designed for business users. For technical documentation, see the Technical Implementation Guide.