Re: [All] SPARQL Query Language Review

Hi all,

I posted this without adequate sleep and boffed the examples.  I  
think the references and applicable areas are correct, but the  
examples need another level of indirection.  Brian has had a look and  
is going to follow up when he has network access.

Subqueries are most useful when a fully-qualified query returns a set  
of nodes (some of which may be blank) upon which it is desired to  
conduct subsequent operations (without assigning some kind of bogus  
reusable id to the blank nodes).  Examples may be constructed from  
the situations below, but I am going to sleep first.  Transitivity is  
similar in that examples may be constructed.

Regards,
Dave

On Nov 5, 2005, at 11:29, David Wood wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> This message contains comments on SPARQL [1] problems with blank  
> nodes which specifically impact SWBP work.  It is in continuation  
> of the action item at [2].
>
> I wrote in [3] regarding blank nodes:
>
> On Oct 14, 2005, at 14:31, David Wood wrote:
>> 3)  The handling of blank nodes ("bnodes") is, again in my  
>> opinion, the single greatest failure of the specification.  We  
>> have to admit that RDF graphs contain bnodes and queries will run  
>> across them.  We also have to admit that a querier will (not  
>> 'may') often want to subsequently find information connected to  
>> those bnodes.  SPARQL's insistence that bnodes' true internal  
>> identities not be returned to a querier (correct in and of itself)  
>> combined with the lack of subquery capability ensures that many  
>> useful RDF queries routinely performed in other languages simply  
>> cannot be written in SPARQL.  OPTIONAL addresses only part of that  
>> functionality.
>
> There are at several places where the need to query across blank  
> nodes pop up in SWBP work.  Some of them are:
>
>   - SKOS Core
>   - RDF/A
>   - N-ary Relations
>
> The SKOS Core Guide [4] includes an example where a blank node is  
> used to represent a collection.  How, using SPARQL, could one  
> construct a query which asks, to use the example collection in the  
> Guide, for the rdfs:labels of any collections which includes a  
> skos:member ex:buffalomilk?
>
> The RDF-in-XHTML TF has been wrestling [5] with a use case  
> requiring the definition of properties referencing blank nodes. The  
> RDF/A Syntax [6] uses the CURIE proposal [7] to generate blank  
> nodes. Therefore, I make the case that since they are producing  
> graphs inclusive of blank nodes, SPARQL should be able to make  
> queries regarding those properties indirectly (e.g. "give me all  
> docs/elements which have things which have property x" and more  
> complex variations on that theme).  Ralph has commented privately  
> that he considers that important.
>
> Nokia's comments to SPARQL ([8] and [9]) suggest that they consider  
> support for transitive closure to be important, which is another  
> way of addressing the same issue.
>
> The N-ary Relations draft's Use Case 3: N-ary relation with no  
> distinguished participant [10] uses an "aggregating node" and  
> assigns it an explicit URI.  John Madden from Duke University has  
> made the (correct, IMHO) suggestion [11] that the aggregating node  
> should be a blank node.  In that case, he goes on to raise issues  
> regarding the applicability of OWL DL and comments, "In the  
> examples given, it strikes me as pretty likely that the aggregating  
> node would be a juicy target to be the object of other triples."   
> John seems to be thinking along lines similar to Ralph, Nokia and  
> myself.
>
> Therefore, I contend that sufficient need for querying across blank  
> nodes (whether by transitive closure or another mechanism, such as  
> subqueries) exists within the body of SWBP work and propose that  
> the working group take such a position with the DAWG regarding the  
> lack of such support in SPARQL.
>
> [1] http://www.w3.org/TR/rdf-sparql-query/
> [2] http://www.w3.org/2005/10/03-swbp-minutes.html#action17
> [3] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-swbp-wg/2005Oct/ 
> 0107.html
> [4] http://www.w3.org/TR/2005/WD-swbp-skos-core-guide-20050510/
> [5] http://www.w3.org/2005/04/05-swbp-minutes.html
> [6] http://www.w3.org/2001/sw/BestPractices/HTML/2005-rdfa- 
> syntax#id87921
> [7] http://www.w3.org/2001/sw/BestPractices/HTML/2005-10-21-curie
> [8] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-rdf-dawg-comments/ 
> 2005Sep/0007.html
> [9] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-rdf-dawg-comments/ 
> 2005Sep/0023.html
> [10] http://smi-web.stanford.edu/people/noy/nAryRelations/n- 
> aryRelations-2nd-WD.html
> [11] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-swbp-wg/2005Jul/ 
> 0017.html
>
> Regards,
> Dave
>
>

Received on Saturday, 5 November 2005 18:15:19 UTC