Neo4j
Graph Databases
What is a Graph Database?
Database that uses graph structures for semantic queries with
nodes, edges and properties to store data
Can perform CRUD operations on a
graph data model
Data Structure
Nodes – Represent entities or items (Users, Accounts, etc)
Edges – Lines that connect nodes to other nodes or nodes to
properties (Aka . “Graphs” or “Relationships”)
Properties – Pertinent information that relates to nodes
Simple Example
Some Advantages
• Graph databases are often faster than relational databases for
associative data sets
• Map directly to the structure of object oriented applications
• Handles big data much more efficiently than relational databases
• Easy to scale
• Performance, Flexibility, Agility
Storage Mechanisms
• Vary between products
• Some use native graph storage that is specifically designed to store
graphs
• Some are based on a relational engine and store graphs in tables
• Graph storage offers better performance advantages because the
graph is stored in a format similar to a “database index”
Some Examples Of Graph Databases
• Neo4j Cayley
• ArangoDB InfoGrid
MarkLogic
• Bitsy
OrientDB
• Filament
Titan
• GraphBase
Good Uses For Graphs
• Network & IT Operations
• Transaction-based Applications – eg.Banking
• Fraud Detection
• Social Networks
• Graph Based Search
Successful Companies That Use Graphs