Asynchronously flattening graphs in relational stores

摘要

An application asynchronously flattens a graph in a relational store to provide fast access to node relationship queries. The application may implement an algorithm that retrieves forward paths of a start node. The algorithm may also retrieve reverse paths of end node. The application may cross-join the forward and reverse paths to determine link paths connecting the start and end nodes. The application may merge the link paths with existing paths. The application may increment path reference counts. The application may store the link paths as a link between the nodes to represent a relationship between the nodes.

主权项

1. A method executed on a computing device for asynchronously flattening a graph in a relational store, the method comprising:
retrieving forward paths of a start node from a paths table through a forward expand operation; retrieving reverse paths of an end node from the paths table through a reverse expand operation; joining the forward paths to the reverse paths through a cross-join operation to determine link paths between the start node and the end node; combining the link paths, the forward paths, and the reverse paths in the paths table; one of adjusting reference counts in the paths table and duplicating records according to added link paths; adding the link paths as a link between the start node and the end node into a links table, wherein the link in the links table corresponds to the link paths in the paths table; including one or more of a link identification (id) and a link type for links in the links table; and utilizing one or more of the link type of the links and a path type of the link paths associated with the links to indicate whether the link paths are bidirectional or unidirectional.