NoSQL For Dummies

Chapter 19

Common Features of Triple and Graph Stores

In This Chapter

Architecting triples and quads

Applying standards

Managing ontologies

I want to begin this chapter by asking, “Why do you need a triple store or graph store?” Do you really need a web of interconnected data, or can you simply tag your data and infer relationships according to the records that share the same tags?

If you do have a complex set of interconnected data, then you need to decide what query functionality you need to support your application. Are you querying for data, or trying to mathematically analyze the graph itself?

In order to get the facts, or assertions, that you require, are you manually adding them, importing them from another system, or determining them through logical rules, called inferencing? By inferencing, I mean that if Luke is the son of Anakin, and Anakin’s mother is called Shmi, then you can infer that Luke’s grandmother is Shmi.

The tool you select for the job — whether it’s a simple document store with metadata support, a triple store, or a graph store — will flow from your answers to the preceding questions.

In this chapter, I discuss the basic model of graph stores and triple stores, ...