Querying Graph Data: Where We Are and Where To Go

Leonid Libkin; Wim Martens; Filip Murlak; Liat Peterfreund; Domagoj Vrgoč

doi:10.1145/3722234.3725822

Querying Graph Data: Where We Are and Where To Go

Leonid Libkin
, Wim Martens
, Filip Murlak
, Liat Peterfreund
, Domagoj Vrgoč

The Rachel and Selim Benin School of Engineering and Computer Science

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although graph query languages such as Cypher, SQL/PGQ, and GQL take inspiration from theoretical languages such as conjunctive regular path queries (CRPQs), their pattern matching facilities are significantly more powerful in order to cope with real world use cases. Four such extensions are treatment of both nodes and edges, variables that bind to paths or lists, path modes, and data filters. In this paper, we define CRPQs with data tests and list variables (dl-CRPQs), which extend CRPQs with these features and give the reader a quick idea of how these features relate to the classical literature on graph pattern matching. Then, we discuss where the design of SQL/PGQ and GQL stands today and identify a host of opportunities in research and query language design. In particular, we believe that a closer connection between graph query languages and automata theory will open up opportunities for query optimization that will benefit graph query languages in the long term.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	PODS Companion 2025 - Companion of the 44th Symposium on Principles of Database Systems
Editors	Marcelo Arenas, Carsten Lutz, Nicole Schweikardt, Cristina Sirangelo, Dan Suciu, Balder Ten Cate
Publisher	Association for Computing Machinery
Pages	9-26
Number of pages	18
ISBN (Electronic)	9798400715655
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1145/3722234.3725822
State	Published - 22 Jun 2025
Event	44th ACM SIGMOD Symposium on Principles of Database Systems, PODS Companion 2025 - Berlin, Germany Duration: 22 Jun 2025 → 27 Jun 2025

Publication series

Name	Proceedings of the ACM SIGACT-SIGMOD-SIGART Symposium on Principles of Database Systems
ISSN (Print)	1055-6338

Conference

Conference	44th ACM SIGMOD Symposium on Principles of Database Systems, PODS Companion 2025
Country/Territory	Germany
City	Berlin
Period	22/06/25 → 27/06/25

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Copyright held by the owner/author(s).

Keywords

automata
graph databases
paths
query language design
query languages
regular path queries

Access to Document

10.1145/3722234.3725822License: CC BY

Cite this

Libkin, L., Martens, W., Murlak, F., Peterfreund, L., & Vrgoč, D. (2025). Querying Graph Data: Where We Are and Where To Go. In M. Arenas, C. Lutz, N. Schweikardt, C. Sirangelo, D. Suciu, & B. Ten Cate (Eds.), PODS Companion 2025 - Companion of the 44th Symposium on Principles of Database Systems (pp. 9-26). (Proceedings of the ACM SIGACT-SIGMOD-SIGART Symposium on Principles of Database Systems). Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3722234.3725822

Libkin, Leonid ; Martens, Wim ; Murlak, Filip et al. / Querying Graph Data : Where We Are and Where To Go. PODS Companion 2025 - Companion of the 44th Symposium on Principles of Database Systems. editor / Marcelo Arenas ; Carsten Lutz ; Nicole Schweikardt ; Cristina Sirangelo ; Dan Suciu ; Balder Ten Cate. Association for Computing Machinery, 2025. pp. 9-26 (Proceedings of the ACM SIGACT-SIGMOD-SIGART Symposium on Principles of Database Systems).

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Libkin, L, Martens, W, Murlak, F, Peterfreund, L & Vrgoč, D 2025, Querying Graph Data: Where We Are and Where To Go. in M Arenas, C Lutz, N Schweikardt, C Sirangelo, D Suciu & B Ten Cate (eds), PODS Companion 2025 - Companion of the 44th Symposium on Principles of Database Systems. Proceedings of the ACM SIGACT-SIGMOD-SIGART Symposium on Principles of Database Systems, Association for Computing Machinery, pp. 9-26, 44th ACM SIGMOD Symposium on Principles of Database Systems, PODS Companion 2025, Berlin, Germany, 22/06/25. https://doi.org/10.1145/3722234.3725822

Querying Graph Data: Where We Are and Where To Go. / Libkin, Leonid; Martens, Wim; Murlak, Filip et al.
PODS Companion 2025 - Companion of the 44th Symposium on Principles of Database Systems. ed. / Marcelo Arenas; Carsten Lutz; Nicole Schweikardt; Cristina Sirangelo; Dan Suciu; Balder Ten Cate. Association for Computing Machinery, 2025. p. 9-26 (Proceedings of the ACM SIGACT-SIGMOD-SIGART Symposium on Principles of Database Systems).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

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Libkin L, Martens W, Murlak F, Peterfreund L, Vrgoč D. Querying Graph Data: Where We Are and Where To Go. In Arenas M, Lutz C, Schweikardt N, Sirangelo C, Suciu D, Ten Cate B, editors, PODS Companion 2025 - Companion of the 44th Symposium on Principles of Database Systems. Association for Computing Machinery. 2025. p. 9-26. (Proceedings of the ACM SIGACT-SIGMOD-SIGART Symposium on Principles of Database Systems). doi: 10.1145/3722234.3725822

Querying Graph Data: Where We Are and Where To Go

Abstract

Publication series

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Bibliographical note

Keywords

Access to Document

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