@prefix rdf: . @prefix ns1: . @prefix foaf: . ns1:this rdf:type foaf:Person . @prefix sioct: . rdf:type sioct:Weblog . @prefix atom: . rdf:type atom:Feed . @prefix rdfs: . rdfs:label "kidehen@openlinksw.com's BLOG [127] description" . rdf:type atom:Entry , sioct:BlogPost . @prefix dc: . dc:title "Enterprise 0.0, Linked Data, and Semantic Data Web" ; foaf:maker ns1:this ; rdfs:label "Enterprise 0.0, Linked Data, and Semantic Data Web" . @prefix dt: . @prefix dcterms: . dcterms:created "2007-06-14T15:28:26Z"^^dt:dateTime ; dcterms:modified "2008-02-04T23:19:26.000001-05:00"^^dt:dateTime . @prefix sioc: . sioc:id "a86180cc42ad1c9e7825124495520661" ; sioc:link ; sioc:content "Last week we officially released Virtuoso 5.0.1 (in Commercial and Open Source Editions). The press release provided us with an official mechanism and timestamp for the current Virtuoso feature set. \nA vital component of the new Virtuoso release is the finalization of our SQL to RDF mapping functionality -- enabling the declarative mapping of SQL Data to RDF. Additional technical insight covering other new features (delivered and pending) is provided by Orri Erling, as part of a series of post-Banff posts.\n\nWhy is SQL to RDF Mapping a Big Deal?\n\nA majority of the world's data (especially in the enterprise realm) resides in SQL Databases. In addition, Open Access to the data residing in said databases remains the biggest challenge to enterprises for the following reasons:\n\n\nSQL Data Sources are inherently heterogeneous because they are acquired with business applications that are in many cases inextricably bound to a particular DBMS engine\n\n\nData is predictably dirty\n\n\nDBMS vendors ultimately hold the data captive and have traditionally resisted data access standards such as ODBC (*trust me they have, just look at the unprecedented bad press associated with ODBC the only truly platform independent data access API. Then look at how this bad press arose..*)\n\n\n\n\nEnterprises have known from the beginning of modern corporate times that data access, discovery, and manipulation capabilities are inextricably linked to the "Real-time Enterprise" nirvana (hence my use of 0.0 before this becomes 3.0).\nIn my experience, as someone whose operated in the data access and data integration realms since the late '80s, I've painfully observed enterprises pursue, but unsuccessfully attain, full control over enterprise data (the prized asset of any organization) such that data-, information-, knowledge-workers are just a click away from commencing coherent platform and database independent data drill-downs and/or discovery that transcend intranet, internet, and extranet boundaries -- serendipitous interaction with relevant data, without compromise!\n\nOkay, situation analysis done, we move on.. \n\nAt our most recent (12th June) monthly Semantic Web Gathering, I unveiled to TimBL and a host of other attendees a simple, but powerful, demonstration of how Linked Data, as an aspect of the Semantic Data Web, can be applied to enterprise data integration challenges.\n\nActual SQL to RDF Mapping Demo / Experiment\n\nHypothesis\nA SQL Schema can be effectively mapped declaratively to RDF such that SQL Rows morph into RDF Instance Data (Entity Sets) based on the Concepts & Properties defined in a Concrete Conceptual Data Model oriented Data Dictionary (RDF Schema and/or OWL Ontology). In addition, the solution must demonstrate how "Linked Data in the Web" is completely different from "Data on the Web" or "Linked Data on the Web" (btw - Tom Heath eloquently unleashed this point in his recent podcast interview with Talis).\n\nApparatus\nAn Ontology - in this case we simply derived the Northwind Ontology from the XML Schema based CSDL (Conceptual Schema Definition Language) used by Microsoft's public Astoria demo (specifically the Northwind Data Services demo). \n\nSQL Database Schema - Northwind (comes bundled with ACCESS, SQL Server, and Virtuoso) comprised of tables such as: Customer, Employee, Product, Category, Supplier, Shipper etc.\n\nOpenLink Virtuoso - SQL DBMS Engine (although this could have been any ODBC or JDBC accessible Database), SQL-RDF Metaschema Language, HTTP URL-rewriter, WebDAV Engine, and DBMS hosted XSLT processor\n\nClient Tools - iSPARQL Query Builder, RDF Browser (which could also have been Tabulator or DISCO or a standard Web Browser)\n\nExperiment / Demo\n\n\nDeclaratively map the Northwind SQL Schema to RDF using the Virtuoso Meta Schema Language (see: Virtuoso PL based Northwind_SQL_RDF script)\n\n\nStart browsing the data by clicking on the URIs that represent the RDF Data Model Entities resulting from the SQL to RDF Mapping \n\n\n\nObservations\n\n\nVia a single Data Link click I was able to obtain specific information about the Customer represented by the URI "ALFKI" (act of URI Dereferencing as you would an Object ID in an Object or Object-Relational Database) \n\nVia a \nDynamic Data Page I was able to explore all the entity relationships or specific entity data (i.e Exploratory or Entity specific dereferencing) in the Northwind Data Space\n\n\nI was able to perform similar exploration (as per item 2) using our\nOpenLink Browser. \n\n\n\nConclusions\nThe vision of data, information, or knowledge at your fingertips is nigh! Thanks to the infrastructure provided by the Semantic Data Web (URIs, RDF Data Model, variety of RDF Serialization Formats[1][2][3], and Shared Data Dictionaries / Schemas / Ontologies [1][2][3][4][5]) it's now possible to Virtualize enterprise data from the Physical Storage Level, through the Logical Data Management Levels (Relational), up to a Concrete Conceptual Model (Graph) without operating system, development environment or framework, or database engine lock-in.\n\nNext Steps\nWe produce a shared ontology for the CRM and Business Reporting Domains. I hope this experiment clarifies how this is quite achievable by converting XML Schemas to RDF Data Dictionaries (RDF Schemas or Ontologies). Stay tuned :-) \n\nAlso watch TimBL amplify and articulate Linked Data value in a recent interview.\n\nOther Related Matters\nTo deliver a mechanism that facilitates the crystallization of this reality is a contribution of boundless magnitude (as we shall all see in due course). Thus, it is easy to understand why even "her majesty", the queen of England, simply had to get in on the act and appoint TimBL to the "British Order of Merit" :-)\n\nNote: All of the demos above now work with IE & Safari (a "remember what Virtuoso is epiphany") by simply putting Virtuoso's DBMS hosted XSLT engine to use :-) This also applies to my earlier collection of demos from the Hello Data Web and other Data Web & Linked Data related demo style posts." ; atom:title "Enterprise 0.0, Linked Data, and Semantic Data Web" . @prefix ns10: . sioc:has_creator ns10:this ; sioc:has_container . @prefix ns11: . sioc:links_to ns11:Notation3 , , , , , , , . @prefix ns12: . sioc:links_to ns12:Category , ns12:Customer . @prefix ns13: . sioc:links_to ns13:Linked_Data , , ns12:Shipper , ns12:Supplier , ns12:Employee , ns12:Product . @prefix ns14: . sioc:links_to ns14:tab , , , , . @prefix ns15: . sioc:links_to ns15:i , , , , , , . @prefix ns16: . sioc:links_to ns16:CambridgeSemanticWebGatherings , , , , , , , . @prefix ns17: . sioc:links_to ns17:ALFKI , ns13:Java_Database_Connectivity , ns13:Open_Database_Connectivity , , , ns13:Resource_Description_Framework , , , , , ; atom:source ; atom:author ns1:this ; atom:published "2007-06-14T15:28:26Z" ; atom:updated "2008-02-05T04:19:26Z" ; sioc:has_reply , , . @prefix opl: . opl:isDescribedUsing . rdf:type sioct:Comment , atom:Entry ; rdfs:label "Re:Enterprise 0.0, Linked Data, and Semantic Data Web" . ns10:this rdf:type sioc:User . rdf:type sioct:Comment , atom:Entry . rdf:type atom:Entry , sioct:Comment . @prefix rdf: . @prefix ns1: . @prefix foaf: . ns1:this rdf:type foaf:Person ; foaf:made . @prefix atom: . rdf:type atom:Feed . @prefix sioct: . rdf:type sioct:Weblog . @prefix rdfs: . rdfs:label "kidehen@openlinksw.com's BLOG [127] description" . @prefix sioc: . sioc:container_of ; atom:entry ; atom:contains . rdf:type atom:Entry , sioct:Comment ; rdfs:label "Re:Enterprise 0.0, Linked Data, and Semantic Data Web" ; sioc:reply_of . rdf:type sioct:BlogPost , atom:Entry ; rdfs:label "Entity Oriented Data Access " ; sioc:links_to . @prefix ns7: . ns7:this rdf:type sioc:User ; sioc:creator_of . rdf:type atom:Entry , sioct:Comment ; sioc:reply_of . rdf:type atom:Entry , sioct:Comment ; sioc:reply_of .