Querying RDF: SPARQL

• Querying RDF graphs is essential (can you imagine Relational Databases without SQL?)

• SPARQL is

• • a query language based on graph patterns
  • a protocol layer to use SPARQL over, eg, HTTP
  • an XML return format for the query results

• Is a W3C Standard (since January 2008)

• Numerous implementations are already available (eg, built in triple stores)