The Mental Model
Traditional systems store files. Supermemory creates a living knowledge graph.Traditional Systems
- Static files in folders
- No connections between content
- Search matches keywords
- Information stays frozen
Supermemory
- Dynamic knowledge graph
- Rich relationships between memories
- Semantic understanding
- Information evolves and connects
Documents vs Memories
Understanding this distinction is crucial to using Supermemory effectively.Documents: Your Raw Input
Documents are what you provide - the raw materials:- PDF files you upload
- Web pages you save
- Text you paste
- Images with text
- Videos to transcribe
Memories: Intelligent Knowledge Units
Memories are what Supermemory creates - the understanding:- Semantic chunks with meaning
- Embedded for similarity search
- Connected through relationships
- Dynamically updated over time
Key Insight: When you upload a 50-page PDF, Supermemory doesn’t just store it. It breaks it into hundreds of interconnected memories, each understanding its context and relationships to your other knowledge.
Memory Relationships
Updates: Information Changes
When new information contradicts or updates existing knowledge, Supermemory creates an “update” relationship.isLatest field, ensuring searches return current information.
Extends: Information Enriches
When new information adds to existing knowledge without replacing it, Supermemory creates an “extends” relationship. Continuing our “working at supermemory” analogy, a memory about what you work on would extend the memory about your role given above.Derives: Information Infers
The most sophisticated relationship - when Supermemory infers new connections from patterns in your knowledge.Processing Pipeline
Understanding the pipeline helps you optimize your usage:| Stage | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Queued | Document waiting to process |
| Extracting | Content being extracted |
| Chunking | Creating memory chunks |
| Embedding | Generating vectors |
| Indexing | Building relationships |
| Done | Fully searchable |
Tip: Larger documents and videos take longer. A 100-page PDF might take 1-2 minutes, while a 1-hour video could take 5-10 minutes.