Re: draft response MK-1 (Fwd: Proposal for simplifying FILTER semantics)

I agree with this response.

Lee

On 5/2/2011 9:02 AM, Axel Polleres wrote:
> I drafted a response for this
>
> http://www.w3.org/2009/sparql/wiki/CommentResponse:MK-1
>
> Axel
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
>> *From: *Markus Krötzsch <markus.kroetzsch@comlab.ox.ac.uk
>> <mailto:markus.kroetzsch@comlab.ox.ac.uk>>
>> *Date: *2 May 2011 14:00:12 GMT+01:00
>> *To: *"Polleres, Axel" <axel.polleres@deri.org
>> <mailto:axel.polleres@deri.org>>
>> *Subject: **Re: Proposal for simplifying FILTER semantics*
>>
>> On 02/05/11 13:39, Axel Polleres wrote:
>> >
>> > On 2 May 2011, at 10:53, Markus Krötzsch wrote:
>> >
>> >> On 01/05/11 20:40, Polleres, Axel wrote:
>> >>> OfflIist: warum funkt BIND fuer deinen use case nicht?
>> >>
>> >> Fuer FILTER "=" koennte das eventuell funktionieren (fuer andere
>> >> Funktionen natuerlich nicht, aber da ist auch die praktische Motivation
>> >> nicht so stark). Was mir da nicht so klar waere ist allerdings wie man
>> >> BINDINGS disjunktiv mit (Sub-)Queries kombinieren wuerde. So wie
>> ich die
>> >> Semantik verstehe werden sie immer konjunktiv mit dem GroupGraphPattern
>> >> verbunden. Man haette dann also wieder das gleich Problem, eine
>> >> Disjunktion zwischen der Gleichheit mit den Bindings (FILTER) und
>> >> etwaigen anderen Patterns (BGP) im WHERE-Teil auszudruecken.
>> >
>> > ja, aber das geht doch mit EXISTS im FILTER (auch ein neues feature
>> in SPARQL1.1, dass genau deinen use case abzudecken scheint... nicht?)
>>
>> Das habe ich noch nicht gefunden -- wo ist denn die Semantik von EXISTS
>> definiert?
>>
>> Markus
>>
>> >>>
>> >>> ----- Original Message -----
>> >>> From:
>> public-rdf-dawg-comments-request@w3.org<public-rdf-dawg-comments-request@w3.org
>> <mailto:public-rdf-dawg-comments-request@w3.org>>
>> >>> To:
>> public-rdf-dawg-comments@w3.org<public-rdf-dawg-comments@w3.org
>> <mailto:public-rdf-dawg-comments@w3.org>>
>> >>> Sent: Sun May 01 20:29:37 2011
>> >>> Subject: Proposal for simplifying FILTER semantics
>> >>>
>> >>> Dear WG,
>> >>>
>> >>> when working with SPARQL recently, I noticed that certain disjunctive
>> >>> queries are most cumbersome/inefficient to formulate due to the
>> special
>> >>> post-processing semantics of FILTER expressions. I have written up a
>> >>> detailed explanation [1]. In a nutshell: it is *really* hard to
>> combine
>> >>> FILTERs and BGPs in disjunctions.
>> >>>
>> >>> But the problem has a simple fix:
>> >>>
>> >>> * Define FILTER in such a way that it can *create* new solution
>> >>> mappings, just like BGP. A FILTER would create all variable
>> bindings (to
>> >>> terms from the active graph) that make the filter condition true.
>> >>> * Instead of applying filters after matching, the generated solution
>> >>> mappings of a FILTER would directly be joined with other parts of
>> the query.
>> >>>
>> >>> Putting it like this simplifies the whole algebra, both formally and
>> >>> conceptually. Moreover, I think that practical implementation are
>> >>> already working like that anyway (using FILTER conditions such as
>> "=" to
>> >>> pre-generate results instead of waiting until the very end before
>> >>> "checking" them).
>> >>>
>> >>> The only negative effect that I see is that this would change the
>> >>> meaning of variables that occur in filters but in no BGP. Currently,
>> >>> such variables are considered "unbound". With the change, they
>> would be
>> >>> instantiated to all terms that match. Experimenting with FILTER-only
>> >>> variables in some RDF stores, I merely got error messages (and rightly
>> >>> so, since a variable that can never be bound is of little use in a
>> >>> filter). So I assume that this is a corner case of little practical
>> >>> relevance.
>> >>>
>> >>> AFAICT, all other queries would give exactly the same results (joining
>> >>> having the same effect as filtering). So it seems that I am
>> suggesting a
>> >>> largely formal algebra change, but one that would make hitherto
>> useless
>> >>> queries very helpful (e.g. to solve the problem in [1]).
>> >>>
>> >>> I am aware that this proposal comes at a very late stage, but I
>> think it
>> >>> is still feasible to do it. I could help with updating the formal
>> parts
>> >>> of the algebra. In any case, I would like to hear the opinion of
>> >>> implementers/practitioners, also re [1]. Note that I am writing this
>> >>> largely as a user (and teacher) of SPARQL, so when I am investing my
>> >>> time here it is merely because I am convinced that it would greatly
>> >>> benefit the language.
>> >>>
>> >>> Cheers,
>> >>>
>> >>> Markus
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>> [1] http://korrekt.org/page/The_State_of_the_UNION
>> >>>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>>
>

Received on Monday, 2 May 2011 14:29:29 UTC