Database Seminar: Wim Martens (Uni Bayreuth) – “A Researcher’s Digest of GQL”

Speaker: Wim Martens

Location: Soda 380

Date: September 20, 2023

Time: 11 AM – 12 PM PST

Title: “A Researcher’s Digest of GQL”

Abstract: GQL (Graph Query Language) is being developed as a new ISO standard for graph query languages to play the same role for graph databases as SQL plays for relational databases. In parallel, an extension of SQL for querying property graphs, SQL/PGQ, has recently been added to the SQL standard; it shares the graph pattern matching functionality with GQL. Both standards are hard-to-understand specifications of hundreds of pages. The goal is to present a digest of the language that is easy for the research community to understand, and thus to initiate research on these future standards for querying graphs. The focus will be on pattern matching features shared by GQL and SQL/PGQ, as well as querying facilities of GQL.

Bio: Wim Martens is interested in foundational aspects of data management, logic, complexity, formal language theory, and the Web. He chaired ICDT and PODS, was invited speaker at PODS and STOC, and his research received several SIGMOD Research Highlight awards, an ICDT best paper award, and an ICDT test-of-time award. He likes playing drums and guitar.