Re: Can you query rdf:List easily? (WAS Re: update on vCard edits and The Compromise)

On 27.07.2007 23:47:33, Garret Wilson wrote:
>
>Harry Halpin wrote:
>> Is it indeed difficult or impossible to write a SPARQL query over
>> rdf:List, particulary with the use of owl:sameAs as in:
It's impossible to write a general SPARQL query to retrieve all
entries of an unknown rdf:List. The use of owl:sameAs doesn't really
have an additional effect on the complexity, though.

>> Can someone tell me precisely why and if so, does rdf:Seq help?
Containers don't form a deep path which has to be traversed. They
are just, well, containers. Members are at the same level/depth
which allows retrieving them with a single query pattern. I'll
re-paste my earlier query. It works for any number/length of 
container-based "additional-names":

[[
   SELECT ?pos ?name WHERE {
       <#card4711> vcard:additional-names ?seq .
       ?seq       ?pos ?name .
   }
   ORDER BY ?pos .
]]

This is impossible for rdf:List. You need a different query for each
number of names, e.g. (assuming lists built w/o "parseType=Collection",
but with an explicit first+literal):

2 names:
[[
   SELECT ?name1 ?name2 WHERE {
       <#card4711> vcard:additional-names ?list1 .
       ?list1      rdf:first ?name1 .
       ?list1      rdf:rest ?list2 .
       ?list2      rdf:first ?name2 .
   }
]]

3 names:
[[
   SELECT ?name1 ?name2 ?name3 WHERE {
       <#card4711> vcard:additional-names ?list1 .
       ?list1      rdf:first ?name1 .
       ?list1      rdf:rest ?list2 .
       ?list2      rdf:first ?name2 .
       ?list2      rdf:rest ?list3 .
       ?list3      rdf:first ?name3 .
   }
]]
etc.

It *is* possible to construct a query that would work for,
say 1-5 additional names, but that would be a really ugly 
beast with nested OPTIONALs (which aren't supported by all
RDF stores and are slower than querying a simple container
that uses a single blank node instead of one for each branch).
The more practical approach is probably to iteratively
extend the query until you hit an rdf:nil or no additional
rdf:rest.


Cheers,
Benjamin

--
Benjamin Nowack
http://bnode.org/

Received on Monday, 30 July 2007 08:19:32 UTC