arXiv subjects

Paraschos Koutris

Publications and source records attributed to Paraschos Koutris.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

FlowLog: Re-thinking Datalog for Fast and Extensible Static Analysis

Datalog is widely used to build static analyzers, yet existing engines often force a tradeoff between efficiency and extensibility. In practice, static analyses are not run once and forgotten: users edit facts, tune rules, diagnose bottlenecks, and often need semantics beyond standard Datalog, leaving these tasks to ad hoc tooling or invasive engine rewrites. We demonstrate FlowLog, a Datalog compiler that turns Souffl\'e-style programs into Differential Dataflow executables for efficient and extensible static analysis. Across 24 benchmarks derived from real-world workloads, FlowLog consistently outperforms state-of-the-art engines in runtime while remaining memory-efficient and scaling better. The demonstration uses a DOOP points-to analysis. Attendees run it, switching the same program from one-shot to incremental evaluation that retracts a fact and updates results in milliseconds; tune it, inspecting per-operator costs in a browser-based profiler and repairing a bad join order; and extend it with a k-core example beyond standard Datalog.

cs.PL↗

arXiv2026

K-Join: Combining Vertex Covers for Parallel Joins

Significant research effort has been devoted to improving the performance of join processing in the massively parallel computation model, where the goal is to evaluate a query with the minimum possible data transfer between machines. However, it is still an open question to determine the best possible parallel algorithm for any join query. In this paper, we present an algorithm that takes a step forward in this endeavour. Our new algorithm is simple and builds on two existing ideas: data partitioning and the HyperCube primitive. The novelty in our approach comes from a careful choice of the HyperCube shares, which is done as a linear combination of multiple vertex covers. The resulting load with input size $n$ and $p$ processors is characterized as $n/p^{1/\kappa}$, where $\kappa$ is a new hypergraph theoretic measure we call the reduced quasi vertex-cover. The new measure matches or improves on all state-of-the-art algorithms and exhibits strong similarities to the edge quasi-packing that describes the worst-case optimal load in one-round algorithms.

cs.DB↗

arXiv2025

Database Theory in Action: Yannakakis' Algorithm

Yannakakis' seminal algorithm is optimal for acyclic joins, yet it has not been widely adopted due to its poor performance in practice. This paper briefly surveys recent advancements in making Yannakakis' algorithm more practical, in terms of both efficiency and ease of implementation, and points out several avenues for future research.

cs.DB↗

arXiv2025

FlowLog: Efficient and Extensible Datalog via Incrementality

Datalog-based languages are regaining popularity as a powerful abstraction for expressing recursive computations in domains such as program analysis and graph processing. However, existing systems often face a trade-off between efficiency and extensibility. Engines like Souffle achieve high efficiency through domain-specific designs, but lack general-purpose flexibility. Others, like RecStep, offer modularity by layering Datalog on traditional databases, but struggle to integrate Datalog-specific optimizations. This paper bridges this gap by presenting FlowLog, a new Datalog engine that uses an explicit relational IR per-rule to cleanly separate recursive control (e.g., semi-naive execution) from each rule's logical plan. This boundary lets us retain fine-grained, Datalog-aware optimizations at the logical layer, but also reuse off-the-shelf database primitives at execution. At the logical level (i.e. IR), we apply proven SQL optimizations, such as logic fusion and subplan reuse. To address high volatility in recursive workloads, we adopt a robustness-first approach that pairs a structural optimizer (avoiding worst-case joins) with sideways information passing (early filtering). Built atop Differential Dataflow--a mature framework for streaming analytics--FlowLog supports both batch and incremental Datalog and adds novel recursion-aware optimizations called Boolean (or algebraic) specialization. Our evaluation shows that FlowLog outperforms state-of-the-art Datalog engines and modern databases across a broad range of recursive workloads, achieving superior scalability while preserving a simple and extensible architecture.

cs.DB↗

arXiv2025

One Join Order Does Not Fit All: Reducing Intermediate Results with Per-Split Query Plans

Minimizing intermediate results is critical for efficient multi-join query processing. Although the seminal Yannakakis algorithm offers strong guarantees for acyclic queries, cyclic queries remain an open challenge. In this paper, we propose SplitJoin, a framework that introduces split as a first-class query operator. By partitioning input tables into heavy and light parts, SplitJoin allows different data partitions to use distinct query plans, with the goal of reducing intermediate sizes using existing binary join engines. We systematically explore the design space for split-based optimizations, including threshold selection, split strategies, and join ordering after splits. Implemented as a front-end to DuckDB and Umbra, SplitJoin achieves substantial improvements: on DuckDB, SplitJoin completes 43 social network queries (vs. 29 natively), achieving 2.1x faster runtime and 7.9x smaller intermediates on average (up to 13.6x and 74x, respectively); on Umbra, it completes 45 queries (vs. 35), achieving 1.3x speedups and 1.2x smaller intermediates on average (up to 6.1x and 2.1x, respectively).

cs.DB↗

arXiv2025

Ranked Enumeration of Conjunctive Query Results

We study the problem of enumerating answers of Conjunctive Queries ranked according to a given ranking function. Our main contribution is a novel algorithm with small preprocessing time, logarithmic delay, and non-trivial space usage during execution. To allow for efficient enumeration, we exploit certain properties of ranking functions that frequently occur in practice. To this end, we introduce the notions of {\em decomposable} and {\em compatible} (w.r.t. a query decomposition) ranking functions, which allow for partial aggregation of tuple scores in order to efficiently enumerate the output. We complement the algorithmic results with lower bounds that justify why restrictions on the structure of ranking functions are necessary. Our results extend and improve upon a long line of work that has studied ranked enumeration from both a theoretical and practical perspective.

cs.DB↗

arXiv2025

Circuits and Formulas for Datalog over Semirings

In this paper, we study circuits and formulas for provenance polynomials of Datalog programs. We ask the following question: given an absorptive semiring and a fact of a Datalog program, what is the optimal depth and size of a circuit/formula that computes its provenance polynomial? We focus on absorptive semirings as these guarantee the existence of a polynomial-size circuit. Our main result is a dichotomy for several classes of Datalog programs on whether they admit a formula of polynomial size or not. We achieve this result by showing that for these Datalog programs the optimal circuit depth is either $Θ(\log m)$ or $Θ(\log^2 m)$, where $m$ is the input size. We also show that for Datalog programs with the polynomial fringe property, we can always construct low-depth circuits of size $O(\log^2 m)$. Finally, we give characterizations of when Datalog programs are bounded over more general semirings.

cs.DB↗

arXiv2025

Parallel Query Processing with Heterogeneous Machines

We study the problem of computing a full Conjunctive Query in parallel using $p$ heterogeneous machines. Our computational model is similar to the MPC model, but each machine has its own cost function mapping from the number of bits it receives to a cost. An optimal algorithm should minimize the maximum cost across all machines. We consider algorithms over a single communication round and give a lower bound and matching upper bound for databases where each relation has the same cardinality. We do this for both linear cost functions like in previous work, but also for more general cost functions. For databases with relations of different cardinalities, we also find a lower bound, and give matching upper bounds for specific queries like the cartesian product, the join, the star query, and the triangle query. Our approach is inspired by the HyperCube algorithm, but there are additional challenges involved when machines have heterogeneous cost functions.

cs.DB↗

arXiv2025

Debunking the Myth of Join Ordering: Toward Robust SQL Analytics

Join order optimization is critical in achieving good query performance. Despite decades of research and practice, modern query optimizers could still generate inferior join plans that are orders of magnitude slower than optimal. Existing research on robust query processing often lacks theoretical guarantees on join-order robustness while sacrificing query performance. In this paper, we rediscover the recent Predicate Transfer technique from a robustness point of view. We introduce two new algorithms, LargestRoot and SafeSubjoin, and then propose Robust Predicate Transfer (RPT) that is provably robust against arbitrary join orders of an acyclic query. We integrated Robust Predicate Transfer with DuckDB, a state-of-the-art analytical database, and evaluated against all the queries in TPC-H, JOB, and TPC-DS benchmarks. Our experimental results show that RPT improves join-order robustness by orders of magnitude compared to the baseline. With RPT, the largest ratio between the maximum and minimum execution time out of random join orders for a single acyclic query is only 1.6x (the ratio is close to 1 for most evaluated queries). Meanwhile, applying RPT also improves the end-to-end query performance by 1.5x (per-query geometric mean). We hope that this work sheds light on solving the practical join ordering problem.

cs.DB↗

arXiv2025

The Free Termination Property of Queries Over Time

Building on prior work on distributed databases and the CALM Theorem, we define and study the question of free termination: in the absence of distributed coordination, what query properties allow nodes in a distributed (database) system to unilaterally terminate execution even though they may receive additional data or messages in the future? This completeness question is complementary to the soundness questions studied in the CALM literature. We also develop a new model based on semiautomata that allows us to bridge from the relational transducer model of the CALM papers to algebraic models that are popular among software engineers (e.g. CRDTs) and of increasing interest to database theory for datalog extensions and incremental view maintenance.

cs.DB↗

arXiv2024

Output-sensitive Conjunctive Query Evaluation

Join evaluation is one of the most fundamental operations performed by database systems and arguably the most well-studied problem in the Database community. A staggering number of join algorithms have been developed, and commercial database engines use finely tuned join heuristics that take into account many factors including the selectivity of predicates, memory, IO, etc. However, most of the results have catered to either full join queries or non-full join queries but with degree constraints (such as PK-FK relationships) that make joins \emph{easier} to evaluate. Further, most of the algorithms are also not output-sensitive. In this paper, we present a novel, output-sensitive algorithm for the evaluation of acyclic Conjunctive Queries (CQs) that contain arbitrary free variables. Our result is based on a novel generalization of the Yannakakis algorithm and shows that it is possible to improve the running time guarantee of the Yannakakis algorithm by a polynomial factor. Importantly, our algorithmic improvement does not depend on the use of fast matrix multiplication, as a recently proposed algorithm does. The upper bound is complemented with matching lower bounds conditioned on two variants of the $k$-clique conjecture. The application of our algorithm recovers known prior results and improves on known state-of-the-art results for common queries such as paths and stars.

cs.DB↗

arXiv2024

Naive Bayes Classifiers over Missing Data: Decision and Poisoning

We study the certifiable robustness of ML classifiers on dirty datasets that could contain missing values. A test point is certifiably robust for an ML classifier if the classifier returns the same prediction for that test point, regardless of which cleaned version (among exponentially many) of the dirty dataset the classifier is trained on. In this paper, we show theoretically that for Naive Bayes Classifiers (NBC) over dirty datasets with missing values: (i) there exists an efficient polynomial time algorithm to decide whether multiple input test points are all certifiably robust over a dirty dataset; and (ii) the data poisoning attack, which aims to make all input test points certifiably non-robust by inserting missing cells to the clean dataset, is in polynomial time for single test points but NP-complete for multiple test points. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our algorithms are efficient and outperform existing baselines.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2024

Evaluating Datalog over Semirings: A Grounding-based Approach

Datalog is a powerful yet elegant language that allows expressing recursive computation. Although Datalog evaluation has been extensively studied in the literature, so far, only loose upper bounds are known on how fast a Datalog program can be evaluated. In this work, we ask the following question: given a Datalog program over a naturally-ordered semiring $σ$, what is the tightest possible runtime? To this end, our main contribution is a general two-phase framework for analyzing the data complexity of Datalog over $σ$: first ground the program into an equivalent system of polynomial equations (i.e. grounding) and then find the least fixpoint of the grounding over $σ$. We present algorithms that use structure-aware query evaluation techniques to obtain the smallest possible groundings. Next, efficient algorithms for fixpoint evaluation are introduced over two classes of semirings: (1) finite-rank semirings and (2) absorptive semirings of total order. Combining both phases, we obtain state-of-the-art and new algorithmic results. Finally, we complement our results with a matching fine-grained lower bound.

cs.DB↗

arXiv2023

Consistent Query Answering for Primary Keys on Rooted Tree Queries

We study the data complexity of consistent query answering (CQA) on databases that may violate the primary key constraints. A repair is a maximal subset of the database satisfying the primary key constraints. For a Boolean query q, the problem CERTAINTY(q) takes a database as input, and asks whether or not each repair satisfies q. The computational complexity of CERTAINTY(q) has been established whenever q is a self-join-free Boolean conjunctive query, or a (not necessarily self-join-free) Boolean path query. In this paper, we take one more step towards a general classification for all Boolean conjunctive queries by considering the class of rooted tree queries. In particular, we show that for every rooted tree query q, CERTAINTY(q) is in FO, NL-hard $\cap$ LFP, or coNP-complete, and it is decidable (in polynomial time), given q, which of the three cases applies. We also extend our classification to larger classes of queries with simple primary keys. Our classification criteria rely on query homomorphisms and our polynomial-time fixpoint algorithm is based on a novel use of context-free grammar (CFG).

cs.DB↗

arXiv2023

Conjunctive Queries with Negation and Aggregation: A Linear Time Characterization

In this paper, we study the complexity of evaluating Conjunctive Queries with negation (\cqneg). First, we present an algorithm with linear preprocessing time and constant delay enumeration for a class of CQs with negation called free-connex signed-acyclic queries. We show that no other queries admit such an algorithm subject to lower bound conjectures. Second, we extend our algorithm to Conjunctive Queries with negation and aggregation over a general semiring, which we call Functional Aggregate Queries with negation (\faqneg). Such an algorithm achieves constant delay enumeration for the same class of queries, but with a slightly increased preprocessing time which includes an inverse Ackermann function. We show that this surprising appearance of the Ackermmann function is probably unavoidable for general semirings, but can be removed when the semiring has specific structure. Finally, we show an application of our results to computing the difference of CQs.

cs.DB↗

arXiv2023

Consistent Query Answering for Primary Keys on Path Queries

We study the data complexity of consistent query answering (CQA) on databases that may violate the primary key constraints. A repair is a maximal consistent subset of the database. For a Boolean query $q$, the problem $\mathsf{CERTAINTY}(q)$ takes a database as input, and asks whether or not each repair satisfies $q$. It is known that for any self-join-free Boolean conjunctive query $q$, $\mathsf{CERTAINTY}(q)$ is in $\mathbf{FO}$, $\mathbf{LSPACE}$-complete, or $\mathbf{coNP}$-complete. In particular, $\mathsf{CERTAINTY}(q)$ is in $\mathbf{FO}$ for any self-join-free Boolean path query $q$. In this paper, we show that if self-joins are allowed, the complexity of $\mathsf{CERTAINTY}(q)$ for Boolean path queries $q$ exhibits a tetrachotomy between $\mathbf{FO}$, $\mathbf{NL}$-complete, $\mathbf{PTIME}$-complete, and $\mathbf{coNP}$-complete. Moreover, it is decidable, in polynomial time in the size of the query~$q$, which of the four cases applies.

cs.DB↗

arXiv2023

The Fine-Grained Complexity of CFL Reachability

Many problems in static program analysis can be modeled as the context-free language (CFL) reachability problem on directed labeled graphs. The CFL reachability problem can be generally solved in time $O(n^3)$, where $n$ is the number of vertices in the graph, with some specific cases that can be solved faster. In this work, we ask the following question: given a specific CFL, what is the exact exponent in the monomial of the running time? In other words, for which cases do we have linear, quadratic or cubic algorithms, and are there problems with intermediate runtimes? This question is inspired by recent efforts to classify classic problems in terms of their exact polynomial complexity, known as {\em fine-grained complexity}. Although recent efforts have shown some conditional lower bounds (mostly for the class of combinatorial algorithms), a general picture of the fine-grained complexity landscape for CFL reachability is missing. Our main contribution is lower bound results that pinpoint the exact running time of several classes of CFLs or specific CFLs under widely believed lower bound conjectures (Boolean Matrix Multiplication and $k$-Clique). We particularly focus on the family of Dyck-$k$ languages (which are strings with well-matched parentheses), a fundamental class of CFL reachability problems. We present new lower bounds for the case of sparse input graphs where the number of edges $m$ is the input parameter, a common setting in the database literature. For this setting, we show a cubic lower bound for Andersen's Pointer Analysis which significantly strengthens prior known results.

cs.FL↗

arXiv2023

General Space-Time Tradeoffs via Relational Queries

In this paper, we investigate space-time tradeoffs for answering Boolean conjunctive queries. The goal is to create a data structure in an initial preprocessing phase and use it for answering (multiple) queries. Previous work has developed data structures that trade off space usage for answering time and has proved conditional space lower bounds for queries of practical interest such as the path and triangle query. However, most of these results cater to only those queries, lack a comprehensive framework, and are not generalizable. The isolated treatment of these queries also fails to utilize the connections with extensive research on related problems within the database community. The key insight in this work is to exploit the formalism of relational algebra by casting the problems as answering join queries over a relational database. Using the notion of boolean {\em adorned queries} and {\em access patterns}, we propose a unified framework that captures several widely studied algorithmic problems. Our main contribution is three-fold. First, we present an algorithm that recovers existing space-time tradeoffs for several problems. The algorithm is based on an application of the {\em join size bound} to capture the space usage of our data structure. We combine our data structure with {\em query decomposition} techniques to further improve the tradeoffs and show that it is readily extensible to queries with negation. Second, we falsify two proposed conjectures in the existing literature related to the space-time lower bound for path queries and triangle detection for which we show unexpectedly better algorithms. This result opens a new avenue for improving several algorithmic results that have so far been assumed to be (conditionally) optimal. Finally, we prove new conditional space-time lower bounds for star and path queries.

cs.DS↗