sylva (july 2012, cultureplex lab)

Graph Databases for Humans

Javier de la Rosa <[email protected]>

* | Internal use onlyDe la Rosa, J | Sylva: A Graph Database for Humans

History

● Tables as actual tables, and Schemas as data types

● Only one way to relate tables → Keys

● And a Standard Query Language → JOIN's are painfull


History

● Relational databases became useless for very high

connected data

● And virtually impossible to change the schema


SQL Problem: Queries

● Databases with more than 100K objects and relationships.

● Complex data scheme.

● Humanists should do queries with no SQL knowledge.

Need a tool to assist for making complex queries.

django-qbehttp://versae.github.com/qbe

http://versae.github.com/qbe

http://versae.github.com/qbe


Solution: django-qbe

● View and autodiscover relations among the models in a

visual way.

● Tabular creation of queries with fields to show, criterias,

lookups and order (only AND conditions by now).

● Auto addition of right fields when ForeignKey or

ManyToMany fields are selected.

● Bookmarklet to save and share the queries.

● Export results to .csv, .odt and .xls, but it's extensible by

the user.


Solution: django-qbe


SQL Problem: Schema Migration

● Old data schemas, sometimes from 4 years ago.

● Numerous changes in the main schema.

● Almost one big migration per year of all data.

● Humanists need enrich the data continuously.

Need a tool to semantic annotation via ontologies.

django-descriptorshttps://github.com/versae/descriptors


Solution: django-descriptors

● Descriptors classified in a tree: ontology.

● Main ontology can be modified and enriched by the users.

● Users and user groups can share their own (sub)

ontologies.

● Any object can be “described” with any number of

descriptors.

● Descriptions can have a value associated.


Solution: django-descriptors


SQL Problem: Highly Connected Data

● Hard to add new tables.

● Hard to create new properties.

● Very slow queries with several JOINs.

● Humanists need a lazy and dynamic definition of

schemas.

Need a tool to create free relations and properties

Sylvahttps://sylvadb.com


NoSQL Movement

● New solutions appeared,

and tables are almost

abandoned:

○ Big Tables

○ Key Values Stores

○ Document-based

○ Graphs

● Too low maturity

● Different uses and needs


Sylva (http:/sylvadb.com)



Schemas Data



● Flexible schemas

● No tables: objects, relations and attributes:

● Visualizations and support to media content

● Collaborators and permissions

● Search and Queries (in progress)



● Schemas can be modified at any time



● Forms from schemas



● Visualization: lists, node-centric and global



● Collaborative work


Questions?

Thank you

sylva (july 2012, cultureplex lab)

Technology