OVI-3: A NoSQL visual query system supporting efficient anti-joins

Abstract

The aim of this work was to develop a technique to speed up complex joins in an incremental visual query system. When designing a visual, highly interactive interface for ad-hoc (read-only) queries, fast response times are of paramount importance. While a column-oriented DBMS reduces the inherent latency found in relational DBMS, there is still the question of how to index the data, especially so as to support complex joins. Equi-joins that involve a many-to-many relationship are an example of complex joins that arise frequently and whose efficient processing is essential for fast query processing. We present OVI-3, a NoSQL visual query system based on incremental querying that uses a simple directory-based indexing scheme for faster processing of such complex joins. The system has been piloted using real data from a student database at Aalto University. The results demonstrated that for certain complex joins the presented indexing scheme outperforms SQL queries from a data server, especially for queries involving anti-joins (negation), where OVI-3 provided an orders of magnitude speed improvement.