# Split
> **Comprehensive document chunking and splitting for optimal processing with 15+ methods including KG-aware, semantic, and structural chunking.**
---
## 🎯 Overview
- :material-content-cut:{ .lg .middle } **Multiple Methods**
---
15+ chunking methods: recursive, semantic, entity-aware, relation-aware, and more
- :material-graph:{ .lg .middle } **KG-Aware Chunking**
---
Preserve entities, relationships, and graph structure for GraphRAG workflows
- :material-brain:{ .lg .middle } **Semantic Chunking**
---
Intelligent boundary detection using embeddings and NLP
- :material-file-tree:{ .lg .middle } **Structural Chunking**
---
Respect document structure: headings, paragraphs, lists, tables
- :material-check-circle:{ .lg .middle } **Quality Validation**
---
Chunk quality assessment and validation
- :material-source-branch:{ .lg .middle } **Provenance Tracking**
---
Track chunk origins for data lineage
!!! tip "Choosing the Right Method"
- **Standard Documents**: Use `recursive` or `sentence` for general text
- **GraphRAG**: Use `entity_aware` or `relation_aware` to preserve knowledge
- **Semantic Coherence**: Use `semantic_transformer` for topic-based chunks
- **Structured Docs**: Use `structural` for documents with headings/sections
- **Large Documents**: Use `hierarchical` for multi-level chunking
---
## ⚙️ Algorithms Used
### Standard Splitting Algorithms
- **Recursive Splitting**: Separator hierarchy (`\n\n`, `\n`, ` `, ``) with greedy splitting
- **Token Counting**: BPE tokenization using tiktoken or transformers
- **Sentence Segmentation**: NLTK punkt, spaCy sentencizer, or regex-based
- **Paragraph Detection**: Double newline detection with whitespace normalization
- **Character Splitting**: Fixed-size character chunks with overlap
- **Word Splitting**: Whitespace tokenization with word boundary preservation
### Semantic Chunking Algorithms
- **Semantic Boundary Detection**:
- Sentence transformer embeddings (384-1024 dim)
- Cosine similarity between consecutive sentences
- Threshold-based boundary detection (default: 0.7)
- **LLM-based Splitting**:
- Prompt engineering for optimal split point detection
- Context window management
- Coherence scoring
### KG/Ontology Chunking Algorithms
- **Entity Boundary Detection**:
- NER-based entity extraction (spaCy, LLM)
- Entity span tracking
- Boundary preservation (no entity splitting)
- **Triple Preservation**:
- Graph-based triple integrity checking
- Subject-predicate-object span tracking
- Relationship boundary preservation
- **Graph Centrality Analysis**:
- Degree centrality: `C_D(v) = deg(v) / (n-1)`
- Betweenness centrality: `C_B(v) = Σ(σ_st(v) / σ_st)`
- Closeness centrality: `C_C(v) = (n-1) / Σd(v,u)`
- Eigenvector centrality: Power iteration method
- **Community Detection**:
- Louvain algorithm: Modularity optimization O(n log n)
- Leiden algorithm: Improved Louvain with refinement
- Modularity calculation: `Q = (1/2m) Σ[A_ij - k_i*k_j/2m]δ(c_i,c_j)`
### Structural Chunking Algorithms
- **Heading Detection**: Markdown/HTML heading parsing
- **List Detection**: Ordered/unordered list identification
- **Table Detection**: Table boundary identification
- **Section Hierarchy**: Tree-based section structure
### Validation Algorithms
- **Chunk Size Validation**: Min/max size checking
- **Overlap Validation**: Overlap percentage calculation
- **Completeness Check**: Coverage verification
- **Quality Scoring**: Multi-factor quality assessment
---
## Main Classes
### TextSplitter
Unified text splitter with method parameter for all chunking strategies.
**Methods:**
| Method | Description | Algorithm |
|--------|-------------|-----------|
| `split(text)` | Split text using configured method | Method-specific algorithm |
| `split_documents(documents)` | Batch split documents | Parallel processing |
| `split_with_metadata(text, metadata)` | Split with metadata preservation | Metadata propagation |
| `validate_chunks(chunks)` | Validate chunk quality | Quality assessment |
**Supported Methods:**
| Category | Methods |
|----------|---------|
| **Standard** | recursive, token, sentence, paragraph, character, word |
| **Semantic** | semantic_transformer, llm, huggingface, nltk |
| **KG/Ontology** | entity_aware, relation_aware, graph_based, ontology_aware |
| **Advanced** | hierarchical, community_detection, centrality_based, subgraph, topic_based |
**Configuration Options:**
```python
TextSplitter(
method="recursive", # Chunking method
chunk_size=1000, # Target chunk size (characters/tokens)
chunk_overlap=200, # Overlap between chunks
length_function=len, # Function to measure chunk size
separators=["\n\n", "\n", " ", ""], # For recursive method
keep_separator=True, # Keep separators in chunks
add_start_index=True, # Add start index to metadata
strip_whitespace=True, # Strip whitespace from chunks
# Semantic chunking options
embedding_model="all-MiniLM-L6-v2", # For semantic_transformer
similarity_threshold=0.7, # Semantic boundary threshold
# Entity-aware options
ner_method="spacy", # NER method (spacy, llm, transformers)
preserve_entities=True, # Don't split entities
# LLM options
llm_provider="openai", # LLM provider
llm_model="gpt-4", # LLM model
# Graph-based options
centrality_method="degree", # Centrality measure
community_algorithm="louvain", # Community detection algorithm
)
```
**Example:**
```python
from semantica.split import TextSplitter
# Standard recursive splitting
splitter = TextSplitter(
method="recursive",
chunk_size=1000,
chunk_overlap=200
)
chunks = splitter.split(long_text)
for i, chunk in enumerate(chunks):
print(f"Chunk {i}: {len(chunk.text)} chars")
print(f"Metadata: {chunk.metadata}")
# Entity-aware for GraphRAG
splitter = TextSplitter(
method="entity_aware",
ner_method="llm",
chunk_size=1000,
preserve_entities=True
)
chunks = splitter.split(text)
# Semantic chunking
splitter = TextSplitter(
method="semantic_transformer",
embedding_model="all-MiniLM-L6-v2",
similarity_threshold=0.7
)
chunks = splitter.split(text)
# Hierarchical chunking
splitter = TextSplitter(
method="hierarchical",
chunk_sizes=[2000, 1000, 500], # Multi-level
chunk_overlaps=[400, 200, 100]
)
chunks = splitter.split(text)
```
---
### SemanticChunker
Semantic-based chunking using embeddings and similarity.
**Methods:**
| Method | Description | Algorithm |
|--------|-------------|-----------|
| `chunk(text)` | Chunk by semantic boundaries | Embedding similarity |
| `find_boundaries(sentences)` | Find semantic boundaries | Threshold-based detection |
| `calculate_similarity(sent1, sent2)` | Calculate similarity | Cosine similarity |
**Example:**
```python
from semantica.split import SemanticChunker
chunker = SemanticChunker(
embedding_model="all-MiniLM-L6-v2",
similarity_threshold=0.7,
min_chunk_size=100,
max_chunk_size=2000
)
chunks = chunker.chunk(long_text)
for chunk in chunks:
print(f"Chunk: {chunk.text[:100]}...")
print(f"Coherence score: {chunk.metadata.get('coherence_score')}")
```
---
### EntityAwareChunker
Preserve entity boundaries during chunking for GraphRAG.
**Methods:**
| Method | Description | Algorithm |
|--------|-------------|-----------|
| `chunk(text, entities)` | Chunk preserving entities | Entity boundary detection |
| `extract_entities(text)` | Extract entities | NER extraction |
| `find_safe_split_points(text, entities)` | Find split points | Entity span checking |
**Example:**
```python
from semantica.split import EntityAwareChunker
from semantica.semantic_extract import NERExtractor
# Extract entities first
ner = NERExtractor(method="llm")
entities = ner.extract(text)
# Chunk preserving entities
chunker = EntityAwareChunker(
chunk_size=1000,
chunk_overlap=200,
ner_method="llm"
)
chunks = chunker.chunk(text, entities=entities)
for chunk in chunks:
print(f"Entities in chunk: {chunk.metadata.get('entities')}")
```
---
### RelationAwareChunker
Preserve relationship triples during chunking.
**Methods:**
| Method | Description | Algorithm |
|--------|-------------|-----------|
| `chunk(text, relationships)` | Chunk preserving triples | Triple span tracking |
| `extract_relationships(text)` | Extract relationships | Relation extraction |
| `validate_triple_integrity(chunk, relationships)` | Validate triples | Integrity checking |
**Example:**
```python
from semantica.split import RelationAwareChunker
from semantica.semantic_extract import RelationExtractor
# Extract relationships
rel_extractor = RelationExtractor()
relationships = rel_extractor.extract(text)
# Chunk preserving relationships
chunker = RelationAwareChunker(
chunk_size=1000,
preserve_triples=True
)
chunks = chunker.chunk(text, relationships=relationships)
for chunk in chunks:
print(f"Relationships: {chunk.metadata.get('relationships')}")
```
---
### GraphBasedChunker
Chunk based on graph structure and centrality.
**Methods:**
| Method | Description | Algorithm |
|--------|-------------|-----------|
| `chunk(text, graph)` | Chunk by graph structure | Centrality-based |
| `calculate_centrality(graph)` | Calculate node centrality | Degree/betweenness/closeness |
| `detect_communities(graph)` | Detect communities | Louvain/Leiden algorithm |
**Example:**
```python
from semantica.split import GraphBasedChunker
from semantica.kg import GraphBuilder
# Build graph
builder = GraphBuilder()
kg = builder.build(entities, relationships)
# Chunk by graph structure
chunker = GraphBasedChunker(
centrality_method="betweenness",
community_algorithm="louvain"
)
chunks = chunker.chunk(text, graph=kg)
for chunk in chunks:
print(f"Community: {chunk.metadata.get('community_id')}")
print(f"Centrality: {chunk.metadata.get('avg_centrality')}")
```
---
### StructuralChunker
Structure-aware chunking respecting document hierarchy.
**Methods:**
| Method | Description | Algorithm |
|--------|-------------|-----------|
| `chunk(text)` | Chunk by structure | Heading/section detection |
| `detect_structure(text)` | Detect document structure | Markdown/HTML parsing |
| `build_hierarchy(sections)` | Build section hierarchy | Tree construction |
**Example:**
```python
from semantica.split import StructuralChunker
chunker = StructuralChunker(
respect_headings=True,
respect_paragraphs=True,
respect_lists=True,
max_chunk_size=2000
)
chunks = chunker.chunk(markdown_text)
for chunk in chunks:
print(f"Section: {chunk.metadata.get('section_title')}")
print(f"Level: {chunk.metadata.get('heading_level')}")
```
---
### HierarchicalChunker
Multi-level hierarchical chunking.
**Methods:**
| Method | Description | Algorithm |
|--------|-------------|-----------|
| `chunk(text)` | Multi-level chunking | Recursive hierarchical split |
| `create_hierarchy(chunks)` | Create chunk hierarchy | Tree structure |
**Example:**
```python
from semantica.split import HierarchicalChunker
chunker = HierarchicalChunker(
chunk_sizes=[2000, 1000, 500],
chunk_overlaps=[400, 200, 100],
create_parent_chunks=True
)
chunks = chunker.chunk(long_text)
for chunk in chunks:
print(f"Level: {chunk.metadata.get('level')}")
print(f"Parent: {chunk.metadata.get('parent_id')}")
print(f"Children: {chunk.metadata.get('child_ids')}")
```
---
### OntologyAwareChunker
Chunk based on ontology concepts and relationships.
**Methods:**
| Method | Description | Algorithm |
|--------|-------------|-----------|
| `chunk(text, ontology)` | Chunk by ontology concepts | Concept boundary detection |
| `extract_concepts(text)` | Extract ontology concepts | Concept extraction |
| `find_concept_boundaries(text, concepts)` | Find concept boundaries | Concept span checking |
**Parameters:**
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|-----------|------|---------|-------------|
| `chunk_size` | int | 1000 | Target chunk size |
| `chunk_overlap` | int | 200 | Overlap between chunks |
| `ontology_path` | str | None | Path to ontology file (.owl, .rdf) |
| `preserve_concepts` | bool | True | Don't split ontology concepts |
| `concept_extraction_method` | str | "llm" | Method for concept extraction |
**Example:**
```python
from semantica.split import OntologyAwareChunker
chunker = OntologyAwareChunker(
chunk_size=1000,
chunk_overlap=200,
ontology_path="domain_ontology.owl",
preserve_concepts=True,
concept_extraction_method="llm"
)
chunks = chunker.chunk(text)
for chunk in chunks:
concepts = chunk.metadata.get('concepts', [])
print(f"Concepts in chunk: {[c['label'] for c in concepts]}")
print(f"Concept types: {[c['type'] for c in concepts]}")
```
---
### SlidingWindowChunker
Fixed-size sliding window chunking with configurable step size.
**Methods:**
| Method | Description | Algorithm |
|--------|-------------|-----------|
| `chunk(text)` | Sliding window chunking | Fixed-size window with step |
| `calculate_windows(text_length)` | Calculate window positions | Window position calculation |
**Parameters:**
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|-----------|------|---------|-------------|
| `window_size` | int | 1000 | Size of sliding window |
| `step_size` | int | 800 | Step size (window_size - overlap) |
| `min_chunk_size` | int | 100 | Minimum chunk size |
| `preserve_sentences` | bool | False | Preserve sentence boundaries |
**Example:**
```python
from semantica.split import SlidingWindowChunker
# Basic sliding window
chunker = SlidingWindowChunker(
window_size=1000,
step_size=800, # 200 overlap
min_chunk_size=100
)
chunks = chunker.chunk(long_text)
for i, chunk in enumerate(chunks):
print(f"Window {i}: chars {chunk.start}-{chunk.end}")
print(f"Overlap with previous: {chunk.metadata.get('overlap_chars')}")
# Sentence-preserving sliding window
chunker = SlidingWindowChunker(
window_size=1000,
step_size=750,
preserve_sentences=True
)
chunks = chunker.chunk(text)
```
---
### TableChunker
Table-specific chunking preserving table structure.
**Methods:**
| Method | Description | Algorithm |
|--------|-------------|-----------|
| `chunk(text)` | Chunk tables | Table detection and splitting |
| `detect_tables(text)` | Detect tables in text | Table boundary detection |
| `split_table(table, max_rows)` | Split large tables | Row-based table splitting |
**Parameters:**
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|-----------|------|---------|-------------|
| `preserve_headers` | bool | True | Keep headers in each chunk |
| `max_rows_per_chunk` | int | 50 | Maximum rows per table chunk |
| `include_context` | bool | True | Include surrounding text context |
| `table_format` | str | "auto" | Table format (markdown, html, csv, auto) |
**Example:**
```python
from semantica.split import TableChunker
chunker = TableChunker(
preserve_headers=True,
max_rows_per_chunk=50,
include_context=True,
table_format="markdown"
)
text_with_tables = \"\"\"
Document with tables...
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|----------|----------|----------|
| Value 1 | Value 2 | Value 3 |
| ... | ... | ... |
\"\"\"
chunks = chunker.chunk(text_with_tables)
for chunk in chunks:
if chunk.metadata.get('is_table'):
print(f"Table chunk:")
print(f" Rows: {chunk.metadata.get('row_count')}")
print(f" Columns: {chunk.metadata.get('column_count')}")
print(f" Headers: {chunk.metadata.get('headers')}")
else:
print(f"Text chunk: {len(chunk.text)} chars")
```
---
### ChunkValidator
Validate chunk quality and completeness.
**Methods:**
| Method | Description | Algorithm |
|--------|-------------|-----------|
| `validate(chunks)` | Validate chunks | Multi-factor validation |
| `check_size(chunk)` | Check size constraints | Min/max checking |
| `check_overlap(chunks)` | Check overlap | Overlap calculation |
| `check_completeness(chunks, original)` | Check coverage | Coverage verification |
| `calculate_quality_score(chunk)` | Quality score | Multi-factor scoring |
**Example:**
```python
from semantica.split import ChunkValidator
validator = ChunkValidator(
min_chunk_size=100,
max_chunk_size=2000,
min_overlap=50,
max_overlap=500
)
validation_result = validator.validate(chunks)
print(f"Valid: {validation_result['valid']}")
print(f"Issues: {validation_result['issues']}")
print(f"Quality score: {validation_result['quality_score']}")
```
---
### ProvenanceTracker
Track chunk provenance for data lineage.
**Methods:**
| Method | Description | Algorithm |
|--------|-------------|-----------|
| `track(chunk, source)` | Track chunk origin | Provenance recording |
| `get_lineage(chunk_id)` | Get chunk lineage | Lineage retrieval |
| `visualize_lineage(chunk_id)` | Visualize lineage | Graph visualization |
**Example:**
```python
from semantica.split import ProvenanceTracker
tracker = ProvenanceTracker()
for chunk in chunks:
tracker.track(
chunk=chunk,
source={
"document_id": "doc123",
"file_path": "data/document.pdf",
"page": 5,
"timestamp": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z"
}
)
# Get lineage
lineage = tracker.get_lineage(chunk.id)
print(f"Source: {lineage['source']}")
print(f"Transformations: {lineage['transformations']}")
```
---
## Convenience Functions
Quick access to splitting operations:
```python
from semantica.split import (
split_recursive,
split_by_tokens,
split_by_sentences,
split_by_paragraphs,
split_entity_aware,
split_relation_aware,
split_semantic_transformer,
list_available_methods
)
# List available methods
methods = list_available_methods()
print(f"Available methods: {methods}")
# Quick splitting
chunks = split_recursive(text, chunk_size=1000, chunk_overlap=200)
chunks = split_by_sentences(text, sentences_per_chunk=5)
chunks = split_entity_aware(text, ner_method="llm")
```
---
## Configuration
### Environment Variables
```bash
# Default settings
export SPLIT_DEFAULT_METHOD=recursive
export SPLIT_DEFAULT_CHUNK_SIZE=1000
export SPLIT_DEFAULT_CHUNK_OVERLAP=200
# Semantic chunking
export SPLIT_EMBEDDING_MODEL=all-MiniLM-L6-v2
export SPLIT_SIMILARITY_THRESHOLD=0.7
# Entity-aware
export SPLIT_NER_METHOD=spacy
export SPLIT_PRESERVE_ENTITIES=true
# LLM-based
export SPLIT_LLM_PROVIDER=openai
export SPLIT_LLM_MODEL=gpt-4
```
### YAML Configuration
```yaml
# config.yaml - Split Module Configuration
split:
default_method: recursive
chunk_size: 1000
chunk_overlap: 200
recursive:
separators: ["\n\n", "\n", " ", ""]
keep_separator: true
semantic:
embedding_model: all-MiniLM-L6-v2
similarity_threshold: 0.7
min_chunk_size: 100
max_chunk_size: 2000
entity_aware:
ner_method: spacy
preserve_entities: true
min_entity_gap: 50
relation_aware:
preserve_triples: true
relation_extraction_method: llm
graph_based:
centrality_method: betweenness
community_algorithm: louvain
min_community_size: 3
hierarchical:
levels: 3
chunk_sizes: [2000, 1000, 500]
chunk_overlaps: [400, 200, 100]
validation:
enabled: true
min_chunk_size: 100
max_chunk_size: 2000
check_overlap: true
check_completeness: true
```
---
## Method Comparison
| Method | Best For | Pros | Cons |
|--------|----------|------|------|
| **recursive** | General text | Fast, simple | May split mid-sentence |
| **sentence** | Coherent chunks | Respects sentences | Variable size |
| **semantic_transformer** | Topic coherence | Semantic boundaries | Slower, needs embeddings |
| **entity_aware** | GraphRAG | Preserves entities | Requires NER |
| **relation_aware** | KG extraction | Preserves triples | Requires relation extraction |
| **graph_based** | Graph analysis | Graph-aware | Requires graph construction |
| **hierarchical** | Large documents | Multi-level | More complex |
| **structural** | Formatted docs | Respects structure | Needs structure |
---
## Integration Examples
### Complete GraphRAG Pipeline
```python
from semantica.split import TextSplitter
from semantica.semantic_extract import NERExtractor, RelationExtractor
from semantica.kg import GraphBuilder
from semantica.embeddings import EmbeddingGenerator
from semantica.vector_store import VectorStore
# Parse document
text = "Apple Inc. was founded by Steve Jobs in 1976..."
# Entity-aware chunking
splitter = TextSplitter(
method="entity_aware",
ner_method="llm",
chunk_size=1000
)
chunks = splitter.split(text)
# Extract from each chunk
ner = NERExtractor(method="llm")
rel_extractor = RelationExtractor()
all_entities = []
all_relationships = []
for chunk in chunks:
entities = ner.extract(chunk.text)
relationships = rel_extractor.extract(chunk.text, entities)
all_entities.extend(entities)
all_relationships.extend(relationships)
# Build knowledge graph
builder = GraphBuilder()
kg = builder.build(all_entities, all_relationships)
# Generate embeddings
embedder = EmbeddingGenerator()
embeddings = embedder.generate([chunk.text for chunk in chunks])
# Store in vector store
vector_store = VectorStore()
vector_store.store(embeddings, chunks)
```
### Multi-Level Hierarchical Chunking
```python
from semantica.split import HierarchicalChunker
chunker = HierarchicalChunker(
chunk_sizes=[4000, 2000, 1000],
chunk_overlaps=[800, 400, 200],
create_parent_chunks=True
)
chunks = chunker.chunk(very_long_document)
# Access hierarchy
for chunk in chunks:
level = chunk.metadata['level']
parent_id = chunk.metadata.get('parent_id')
child_ids = chunk.metadata.get('child_ids', [])
print(f"Level {level}: {len(chunk.text)} chars")
if parent_id:
print(f" Parent: {parent_id}")
if child_ids:
print(f" Children: {len(child_ids)}")
```
---
## Best Practices
### 1. Choose Appropriate Chunk Size
```python
# For semantic search (embeddings)
splitter = TextSplitter(method="recursive", chunk_size=512)
# For LLM context (GPT-4)
splitter = TextSplitter(method="recursive", chunk_size=4000)
# For entity extraction
splitter = TextSplitter(method="entity_aware", chunk_size=1000)
```
### 2. Use Overlap for Context
```python
# 20% overlap recommended
splitter = TextSplitter(
chunk_size=1000,
chunk_overlap=200 # 20%
)
```
### 3. Validate Chunks
```python
from semantica.split import ChunkValidator
validator = ChunkValidator()
validation = validator.validate(chunks)
if not validation['valid']:
print(f"Issues: {validation['issues']}")
```
### 4. Track Provenance
```python
from semantica.split import ProvenanceTracker
tracker = ProvenanceTracker()
for chunk in chunks:
tracker.track(chunk, source={"doc_id": "123"})
```
---
## Troubleshooting
### Issue: Chunks too small/large
```python
# Solution: Adjust chunk size and method
splitter = TextSplitter(
method="recursive",
chunk_size=1500, # Increase
chunk_overlap=300
)
# Or use validation
validator = ChunkValidator(min_chunk_size=500, max_chunk_size=2000)
```
### Issue: Entities split across chunks
```python
# Solution: Use entity-aware chunking
splitter = TextSplitter(
method="entity_aware",
ner_method="llm",
preserve_entities=True
)
```
### Issue: Slow semantic chunking
```python
# Solution: Use faster embedding model or batch processing
splitter = TextSplitter(
method="semantic_transformer",
embedding_model="all-MiniLM-L6-v2", # Faster model
batch_size=32 # Batch embeddings
)
```
---
## Performance Tips
### Memory Optimization
```python
# Process in batches
def chunk_large_corpus(documents, batch_size=100):
splitter = TextSplitter(method="recursive")
for i in range(0, len(documents), batch_size):
batch = documents[i:i + batch_size]
chunks = splitter.split_documents(batch)
yield from chunks
```
### Speed Optimization
```python
# Use faster methods for large documents
splitter = TextSplitter(
method="recursive", # Fastest
chunk_size=1000
)
# Avoid LLM-based for large corpora
# Use semantic_transformer instead of llm
```
---
## See Also
- [Parse Module](parse.md) - Document parsing
- [Semantic Extract Module](semantic_extract.md) - Entity extraction
- [Knowledge Graph Module](kg.md) - Graph construction
- [Embeddings Module](embeddings.md) - Vector generation
- [Vector Store Module](vector_store.md) - Vector storage