E/01What is a prediction transformer?
How a model like PE-1 reads time the way a language model reads text.
Key points
- Time series are sliced into patches and treated as tokens
- A decoder-only transformer predicts the next stretch of the future
- Pretraining on billions of observations enables zero-shot forecasts
- Outputs are distributions with calibrated uncertainty
E/02RAG vs fine-tuning
Two ways to make a model know your business, and when to use each.
Key points
- RAG retrieves your documents at question time: fresh, auditable, cheap to update
- Fine-tuning changes the model's behaviour: tone, format, specialized tasks
- Most assistants start with RAG and add fine-tuning later
- Both need clean data more than clever prompts
E/03Measuring automation ROI
A simple formula that survives contact with finance.
Key points
- Hours saved × loaded hourly cost = gross saving
- Subtract build, licence and maintenance costs
- Add error reduction and speed gains when you can measure them
- Decide on a 12-month horizon and measure monthly
E/04Reading a forecast's confidence band
Why a single number is a trap and how to use P10–P90.
Key points
- P50 is the central estimate, not a promise
- P10–P90 covers the range you should plan for
- Wide bands mean uncertain data, not a broken model
- Decide with the band: safety stock, staffing, budget
E/05Data quality basics
The four checks that fix most analytics problems before any AI is involved.
Key points
- Completeness: no silent gaps in key fields
- Consistency: one definition per metric across systems
- Timeliness: data arrives when decisions are made
- Lineage: you can trace every number to its source
E/06Glossary
The vocabulary you will meet in our proposals.
Key points
- LLM: a large language model that reads and writes text
- Agent: a model that takes actions through tools, not just answers
- Embedding: a numeric representation used for semantic search
- Zero-shot: forecasting or classifying without task-specific training
- Sovereign cloud: hosting under local jurisdiction and control
