Cardinality Schema for Graph Database Integrity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Graph databases, subject-predicate-object databases, and triplestores often fail to track the cardinality of properties and predicates, leading to incorrect data updates and queries, which can result in data corruption and misinterpretation of query results due to mismatched cardinality levels.

Innovation Solution

A facility is implemented to maintain a cardinality schema that manages property or predicate cardinality indications, allowing for the addition of cardinality indications based on semantics, number of values, or explicit client declarations, and automatically completes queries with proper cardinality semantics to ensure accurate data management.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If graph databases maintain flexibility and indifference to property cardinality, then ease of operation and adaptability are improved, but data reliability and measurement precision deteriorate due to cardinality mismatches

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of operationVSAvoiddata reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a cardinality schema as an intermediary layer between the flexible graph database and the cardinality-aware operations. This schema mediates by validating and tracking property cardinalities, allowing the database to maintain operational flexibility while preventing cardinality-related errors through the intermediary validation mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where the cardinality schema continuously monitors and validates property cardinalities during queries and updates. When cardinality mismatches are detected, the system provides feedback by rejecting erroneous operations or warning users, thereby maintaining data reliability without compromising the flexibility of the graph database structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Device complexity

If graph databases do not track property cardinality, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision and measurement precision worsen leading to data corruption

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice complexityVSAvoiddata precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the cardinality tracking functionality into a separate cardinality schema component, distinct from the main graph database engine. This segmentation allows the database to maintain its simple, flexible structure while the separate schema component handles cardinality validation, achieving data precision without significantly increasing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by validating property cardinalities before executing queries or updates. The cardinality schema pre-checks whether operations are compatible with defined cardinality constraints, preventing data corruption before it occurs rather than detecting and correcting it after the fact, thereby maintaining data precision with minimal runtime overhead.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If cardinality schema validation is implemented, then data reliability is improved, but processing time and energy consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata reliabilityVSAvoidprocessing energy

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial validation by implementing cardinality checks only for properties that have defined cardinality constraints in the schema, rather than validating all properties universally. This selective approach maintains data reliability for critical properties while minimizing unnecessary processing energy consumption for properties without cardinality requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS10437810B2Systems and methods for maintaining cardinality schema to prevent corruption in databases indifferent to cardinality

Publication Date: 2019.10.08 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

A facility maintains a cardinality schema to manage indications of property cardinality on behalf of a database such as a graph database that is indifferent to the cardinality of properties stored within it. The facility can add cardinality indications to the cardinality schema for a property based on (1) semantics used to refer to one or more values of the property in an update request, (2) the number of values specified for the property in an update request, or (3) an explicit client declaration of the property's cardinality. Where a query or update request against the database uses cardinality semantics for a property that are inconsistent with the cardinality schema's indication for the property, the facility can reject the query or update request. The facility can also use the cardinality schema to automatically complete incomplete queries using the proper cardinality semantics for each involved property.