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Implementing a Graph Transformation Engine in Relational Databases

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Abstract

We present a novel approach to implement a graph transformation engine based on standard relational database management systems (RDBMSs). The essence of the approach is to create database views for each rule and to handle pattern matching by inner join operations while handling negative application conditions by left outer join operations. Furthermore, the model manipulation prescribed by the application of a graph transformation rule is also implemented using elementary data manipulation statements (such as insert, delete). As a result, we obtain a robust and fast transformation engine especially suitable for (1) extending modeling tools with an underlying RDBMS repository and (2) embedding model transformations into large distributed applications where models are frequently persisted in a relational database and transaction handling is required to handle large models consistently.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science and Information Theory, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary

    Gergely Varró & Katalin Friedl

  2. Department of Measurement and Information Systems, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary

    Dániel Varró

Authors
  1. Gergely Varró
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  2. Katalin Friedl
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  3. Dániel Varró
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gergely Varró.

Additional information

The first and the third author were partially supported by the SEGRAVIS Research Training Network. The first and the second author were also partially supported by the grant OTKA T42559. The János Bolyai Scholarship provided additional support for the third author

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Varró, G., Friedl, K. & Varró, D. Implementing a Graph Transformation Engine in Relational Databases. Softw Syst Model 5, 313–341 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10270-006-0015-y

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