arXiv subjects

Iovka Boneva

Publications and source records attributed to Iovka Boneva.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

sheval: An RDF data shapes evaluation tool and test-suite for recursive shapes

Two different languages have been developed to validate RDF data based on the concept of a shape: ShEx and SHACL. In each language it is possible to define a shape that refers to itself, which is called a recursive shape. While in the case of ShEx, the semantics of recursive shapes is well defined and is part of the specification, in the case of SHACL, the semantics of recursive shapes is left to the implementation of the different SHACL engines. Consequently, the different SHACL engines show different behaviours when confronted with recursive shapes. In this paper we present sheval: an evaluation framework consisting of a tool and a test suite that can be used to compare the behaviour of different shapes technologies when confronted with recursive definitions. The tool has been used to evaluate and understand the differences in the implementation of recursive shapes in ShEx and SHACL. It provides a framework for testing and comparing the behaviour of different shape engines, helping to identify inconsistencies and potential issues, and providing a basis for further research and development in the field of shape-based validation of RDF data.

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arXiv2026

Common Foundations for Recursive Shape Languages

As schema languages for RDF data become more mature, we are seeing efforts to extend them with recursive semantics, applying diverse ideas from logic programming and description logics. While ShEx has an official recursive semantics based on greatest fixpoints (GFP), the discussion for SHACL is ongoing and seems to be converging towards least fixpoints (LFP). A practical study we perform shows that, indeed, ShEx validators implement GFP, whereas SHACL validators are more heterogeneous. This situation creates tension between ShEx and SHACL, as their semantic commitments appear to diverge, potentially undermining interoperability and predictability. We aim to clarify this design space by comparing the main semantic options in a principled yet accessible way, hoping to engage both theoreticians and practitioners, especially those involved in developing tools and standards. We present a unifying formal semantics that treats LFP, GFP, and supported model semantics (SMS), clarifying their relationships and highlighting a duality between LFP and GFP on stratified fragments. Next, we investigate to which extent the directions taken by SHACL and ShEx are compatible. We show that, although ShEx and SHACL seem to be going in different directions, they include large fragments with identical expressive power. Moreover, there is a strong correspondence between these fragments through the aforementioned principle of duality. Finally, we present a complete picture of the data and combined complexity of ShEx and SHACL validation under LFP, GFP, and SMS, showing that SMS comes at a higher computational cost under standard complexity-theoretic assumptions.

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arXiv2025

Shape Expressions with Inheritance

We formally introduce an inheritance mechanism for the Shape Expressions language (ShEx). It is inspired by inheritance in object-oriented programming languages, and provides similar advantages such as reuse, modularity, and more flexible data modelling. Using an example, we explain the main features of the inheritance mechanism. We present its syntax and formal semantics. The semantics is an extension of the semantics of ShEx 2.1. It also directly yields a validation algorithm as an extension of the previous ShEx validation algorithms, while maintaining the same algorithmic complexity.

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arXiv2023

Static Analysis of Graph Database Transformations

We investigate graph transformations, defined using Datalog-like rules based on acyclic conjunctive two-way regular path queries (acyclic C2RPQs), and we study two fundamental static analysis problems: type checking and equivalence of transformations in the presence of graph schemas. Additionally, we investigate the problem of target schema elicitation, which aims to construct a schema that closely captures all outputs of a transformation over graphs conforming to the input schema. We show all these problems are in EXPTIME by reducing them to C2RPQ containment modulo schema; we also provide matching lower bounds. We use cycle reversing to reduce query containment to the problem of unrestricted (finite or infinite) satisfiability of C2RPQs modulo a theory expressed in a description logic.

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arXiv2020

Consistency and Certain Answers in Relational to RDF Data Exchange with Shape Constraints

We investigate the data exchange from relational databases to RDF graphs inspired by R2RML with the addition of target shape schemas. We study the problems of consistency i.e., checking that every source instance admits a solution, and certain query answering i.e., finding answers present in every solution. We identify the class of constructive relational to RDF data exchange that uses IRI constructors and full tgds (with no existential variables) in its source to target dependencies. We show that the consistency problem is coNP-complete. We introduce the notion of universal simulation solution that allows to compute certain query answers to any class of queries that is robust under simulation. One such class are nested regular expressions (NREs) that are forward i.e., do not use the inverse operation. Using universal simulation solution renders tractable the computation of certain answers to forward NREs (data-complexity). Finally, we present a number of results that show that relaxing the restrictions of the proposed framework leads to an increase in complexity.

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arXiv2019

Semi Automatic Construction of ShEx and SHACL Schemas

We present a method for the construction of SHACL or ShEx constraints for an existing RDF dataset. It has two components that are used conjointly: an algorithm for automatic schema construction, and an interactive workflow for editing the schema. The schema construction algorithm takes as input sets of sample nodes and constructs a shape constraint for every sample set. It can be parametrized by a schema pattern that defines structural requirements for the schema to be constructed. Schema patterns are also used to feed the algorithm with relevant information about the dataset coming from a domain expert or from some ontology. The interactive workflow provides useful information about the dataset, shows validation results w.r.t. the schema under construction, and offers schema editing operations that combined with the schema construction algorithm allow to build a complex ShEx or SHACL schema.

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arXiv2018

Relational to RDF Data Exchange in Presence of a Shape Expression Schema

We study the relational to RDF data exchange problem, where the tar- get constraints are specified using Shape Expression schema (ShEx). We investi- gate two fundamental problems: 1) consistency which is checking for a given data exchange setting whether there always exists a solution for any source instance, and 2) constructing a universal solution which is a solution that represents the space of all solutions. We propose to use typed IRI constructors in source-to- target tuple generating dependencies to create the IRIs of the RDF graph from the values in the relational instance, and we translate ShEx into a set of target dependencies. We also identify data exchange settings that are key covered, a property that is decidable and guarantees consistency. Furthermore, we show that this property is a sufficient and necessary condition for the existence of universal solutions for a practical subclass of weakly-recursive ShEx.

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arXiv2017

Validating and describing linked data portals using shapes

Linked data portals need to be able to advertise and describe the structure of their content. A sufficiently expressive and intuitive schema language will allow portals to communicate these structures. Validation tools will aid in the publication and maintenance of linked data and increase their quality. Two schema language proposals have recently emerged for describing the structures of RDF graphs: Shape Expressions (ShEx) and Shapes Constraint Language (SHACL). In this paper we describe how these formalisms can be used in the development of a linked data portal to describe and validate its contents. As a use case, we specify a data model inspired by the WebIndex data model, a medium size linked data portal, using both ShEx and SHACL, and we propose a benchmark that can generate compliant test data structures of any size. We then perform some preliminary experiments showing performance of one validation engine based on ShEx.

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arXiv2015

Shape Expressions Schemas

We present Shape Expressions (ShEx), an expressive schema language for RDF designed to provide a high-level, user friendly syntax with intuitive semantics. ShEx allows to describe the vocabulary and the structure of an RDF graph, and to constrain the allowed values for the properties of a node. It includes an algebraic grouping operator, a choice operator, cardinalitiy constraints for the number of allowed occurrences of a property, and negation. We define the semantics of the language and illustrate it with examples. We then present a validation algorithm that, given a node in an RDF graph and a constraint defined by the ShEx schema, allows to check whether the node satisfies that constraint. The algorithm outputs a proof that contains trivially verifiable associations of nodes and the constraints that they satisfy. The structure can be used for complex post-processing tasks, such as transforming the RDF graph to other graph or tree structures, verifying more complex constraints, or debugging (w.r.t. the schema). We also show the inherent difficulty of error identification of ShEx.

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arXiv2014

Semantics and Validation of Shapes Schemas for RDF

We present a formal semantics and proof of soundness for shapes schemas, an expressive schema language for RDF graphs that is the foundation of Shape Expressions Language 2.0. It can be used to describe the vocabulary and the structure of an RDF graph, and to constrain the admissible properties and values for nodes in that graph. The language defines a typing mechanism called shapes against which nodes of the graph can be checked. It includes an algebraic grouping operator, a choice operator and cardinality constraints for the number of allowed occurrences of a property. Shapes can be combined using Boolean operators, and can use possibly recursive references to other shapes. We describe the syntax of the language and define its semantics. The semantics is proven to be well-defined for schemas that satisfy a reasonable syntactic restriction, namely stratified use of negation and recursion. We present two algorithms for the validation of an RDF graph against a shapes schema. The first algorithm is a direct implementation of the semantics, whereas the second is a non-trivial improvement. We also briefly give implementation guidelines.

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arXiv2013

Schemas for Unordered XML on a DIME

We investigate schema languages for unordered XML having no relative order among siblings. First, we propose unordered regular expressions (UREs), essentially regular expressions with unordered concatenation instead of standard concatenation, that define languages of unordered words to model the allowed content of a node (i.e., collections of the labels of children). However, unrestricted UREs are computationally too expensive as we show the intractability of two fundamental decision problems for UREs: membership of an unordered word to the language of a URE and containment of two UREs. Consequently, we propose a practical and tractable restriction of UREs, disjunctive interval multiplicity expressions (DIMEs). Next, we employ DIMEs to define languages of unordered trees and propose two schema languages: disjunctive interval multiplicity schema (DIMS), and its restriction, disjunction-free interval multiplicity schema (IMS). We study the complexity of the following static analysis problems: schema satisfiability, membership of a tree to the language of a schema, schema containment, as well as twig query satisfiability, implication, and containment in the presence of schema. Finally, we study the expressive power of the proposed schema languages and compare them with yardstick languages of unordered trees (FO, MSO, and Presburger constraints) and DTDs under commutative closure. Our results show that the proposed schema languages are capable of expressing many practical languages of unordered trees and enjoy desirable computational properties.

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arXiv2013

Simple Schemas for Unordered XML

We consider unordered XML, where the relative order among siblings is ignored, and propose two simple yet practical schema formalisms: disjunctive multiplicity schemas (DMS), and its restriction, disjunction-free multiplicity schemas (MS). We investigate their computational properties and characterize the complexity of the following static analysis problems: schema satisfiability, membership of a tree to the language of a schema, schema containment, twig query satisfiability, implication, and containment in the presence of schema. Our research indicates that the proposed formalisms retain much of the expressiveness of DTDs without an increase in computational complexity.

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