Overview
ISO/IEC 9075-16:2023 defines the Property Graph Queries (SQL/PGQ) extension for SQL. Developed by ISO and IEC, this international standard specifies how SQL can represent and interact with property graphs - a critical data structure for modeling complex relationships, widely used in modern database applications. By extending the existing SQL language, this part of the ISO/IEC 9075 series enables standardized querying, definition, and management of property graph data using familiar SQL syntax and concepts.
Property graphs allow storage of vertices (nodes) and edges (relationships), each of which may have labels and key-value properties. With SQL/PGQ, users gain the ability to define, manipulate, and query property graphs directly within the SQL framework, supporting advanced analytics and graph pattern matching in a consistent and interoperable manner.
Key Topics
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Property Graph Concepts
- Vertices and edges as fundamental elements
- Labels and properties for both vertices and edges
- Support for directed and undirected edges, multigraphs, and mixed graphs
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SQL-Property Graph Integration
- Representation of property graphs using SQL tables
- Schema and data management for property graphs within relational databases
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Graph Pattern Matching
- Expression of graph traversal and pattern search
- Match, path, and predicate constructs for analyzing graph data
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Security and Access Control
- Privileges specific to property graphs
- Grant/revoke mechanisms for graph data
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Schema Definition and Manipulation
- SQL statements for creating, altering, and dropping property graphs and their elements
- Use of vertex and edge tables, label sets, and properties
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Information and Definition Schema
- Views and base tables describing the structure and metadata of graphs
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Conformance and Optional Features
- Criteria for SQL/PGQ implementation compliance
- Summary of optional features and deprecated functionalities
Applications
SQL/PGQ enables powerful new capabilities for a wide range of industries and use cases, including:
- Social Networks: Efficiently modeling complex user relationships, communities, and social interactions.
- Fraud Detection: Rapid analysis of transaction networks, uncovering hidden connections and patterns of interest.
- Network Analysis: Monitoring data or telecommunications networks for connectivity, influence, and anomaly detection.
- Knowledge Graphs: Integrating business, product, or organizational information in a highly connected fashion.
- Recommendation Engines: Analyzing relationships between users, products, and preferences for personalized suggestions.
SQL/PGQ supports organizations transitioning to graph-based data models, while leveraging existing SQL expertise and infrastructure. By standardizing property graph support in SQL, interoperability across database platforms and applications is greatly enhanced.
Related Standards
ISO/IEC 9075-16:2023 is part of the broader SQL standards family and directly references several related documents, including:
Together, these standards provide a comprehensive framework for SQL, supporting both traditional relational and modern property graph databases.
Keywords: ISO/IEC 9075-16:2023, SQL/PGQ, SQL property graph queries, property graph standard, property graph SQL, database graph standards, graph pattern matching SQL, property graph schema, SQL graph analytics, database interoperability.
Open preview (PDF)Information technology — Database languages SQL — Part 16: Property Graph Queries (SQL/PGQ)