# Using Collections in Console
This guide walks you through managing collections using the [xAI Console](https://console.x.ai) interface.
## Creating a New Collection
1. Navigate to the **Collections** tab in the [xAI Console](https://console.x.ai)
2. **Make sure you are in the correct team**
3. Click on **"Create new collection"** to create a new collection
### Embeddings Setting
You can choose to enable **generate embeddings on document upload** or not. We recommend leaving the generate embeddings setting **on** for optimal search performance.
## Viewing and Editing Collection Configuration
You can view and edit the collection's configuration by clicking on **Edit Collection**.
This opens a modal where you can:
- View the current configuration
- Change the collection name
- Update the description
- Modify the embeddings setting
## Adding a Document to the Collection
1. Click on a collection in the collections table to view its documents
2. Click **"Upload document"** to upload a new document
3. Select one or more files from your computer
### Supported Formats
- PDF (.pdf)
- Plain text (.txt)
- Word documents (.docx)
- Markdown (.md)
- And many more text-based formats
### Document Details
Once the upload has completed, each document is given a **File ID**. You can view:
- **File ID** - Unique identifier for the file
- **Collection ID** - The collection this document belongs to
- **Hash** - Document content hash
To view these details, click on the document in the documents table.
### Wait for Processing
Documents are processed and indexed automatically. Processing time depends on document size and complexity.
## Deleting Documents and Collections
You can delete documents and collections by clicking on the **more button** (⋮) on the right side of the collections or documents table.
**Note**: Deleted documents and collections cannot be recovered.
## Testing Queries
### Using the Console
1. Select a collection
2. Open the "Query" or "Test" tab
3. Enter a natural language question
4. View the response with citations
### Example
**Query**: "What is the vacation policy?"
**Response**: "According to the employee handbook, full-time employees receive 15 days of paid vacation per year. [1]"
## Collection Settings
### Collection Info
- View collection ID (needed for API calls)
- See document count
- Check storage usage
### Access Controls
- View who has access to collections
- Manage permissions (if available)
## Using Collections in API
After creating collections in the console, use them via API:
```python
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(
api_key=os.environ.get("XAI_API_KEY"),
base_url="https://api.x.ai/v1"
)
response = client.chat.completions.create(
model="grok-4",
messages=[
{"role": "user", "content": "What does the policy say about remote work?"}
],
tools=[
{
"type": "collections_search",
"collections_search": {
"collection_ids": ["col_abc123"] # From console
}
}
]
)
```
## Finding Collection IDs
1. Open the collection in console
2. Click on a document in the collection
3. The Collection ID is displayed in the document details
4. Copy the ID (format: `collection_xxxxx`)
## Best Practices
### Organization
- Create separate collections for different topics
- Use clear, descriptive names
- Add descriptions for team clarity
### Documents
- Use meaningful file names
- Keep documents focused on specific topics
- Update documents when content changes
### Maintenance
- Regularly review collection contents
- Remove outdated documents
- Monitor storage usage
## Limits
| Limit | Value |
|-------|-------|
| Max file size | 100 MB |
| Max files per collection | 100,000 |
| Max total storage | 100 GB |
Contact xAI to increase limits.
## Troubleshooting
### Document Not Processing
- Check file format is supported
- Verify file isn't corrupted
- Check file size limits
### Query Not Finding Content
- Ensure document processing is complete
- Try different query phrasing
- Check document actually contains the information
### Upload Failures
- Check internet connection
- Verify file size is within limits
- Try uploading fewer files at once
