FLASc: a formal algebra for labeled property graph schema

Abstract

Contemporary labeled property graph databases are either schema-less or schema-optional to support frequent changes in the structure of data found in domains requiring high flexibility. However, the lack of structure impacts data transformation and loading operations from heterogeneous sources into graph databases. We present a formal algebra FLASc for specifying and generating graph schema for labeled property graph databases. We formally define FLASc and demonstrate the use of FLASc generated graph schemas to systematically transform and load data-sets related to domains of cyber-physical systems, big data analytics and tourism. Findings from three disparate case studies show that FLASc-generated schemas assist in enforcing integrity constraints that reduce the chance of data corruption, hence assuring data consistency and integrity.