Graph terminology in spec text.

On 21/07/11 01:08, Ian Davis wrote:
> We recognise that "graph" has subtly different semantics
> between sparql and rdf concepts so let's avoid that term.

It would be helpful to if you could point to text in the SPARQL specs 
that leads to that conclusion.  It should be changed because a graph is 
value and used as such in SPARQL, both in query and update.  As such , 
the changes are editorial and not a cause for a SPARQL second last call.

In SPARQL Update, a graph store is like an "integer store" - a number of 
slots (g-boxes) which can change.  The term was invented to 
differentiate between the mutable container "graph store", and compound, 
immutable value, RDF dataset which is a mathematical set as you note.

Had the SPARQL update document defined update to work on a dataset, then 
there would be problems but it doesn't.

"""
Definition: Graph Store

A Graph Store GS is a mutable container of RDF graphs.
"""
stresses it is the container that is mutable.

Let's get the text right while we can.

	Andy

PS It would be useful to define terminology in RDF to cover 
IRIs/bnodes/literals.  SPARQL 1.0 added "RDF Term" for this.  RDF 
concepts has "nodes" but that is for the nodes of a graph, do does not 
capture the notion of what goes in a slot in a triple.

Received on Thursday, 21 July 2011 07:28:28 UTC