Foundations of SPARQL query optimization

Abstract

We study fundamental aspects related to the efficient processing of the SPARQL query language for RDF, proposed by the W3C to encode machine-readable information in the Semantic Web. Our key contributions are (i) a complete complexity analysis for all operator fragments of the SPARQL query language, which -- as a central result -- shows that the SPARQL operator Optional alone is responsible for the PSpace-completeness of the evaluation problem, (ii) a study of equivalences over SPARQL algebra, including both rewriting rules like filter and projection pushing that are well-known from relational algebra optimization as well as SPARQL-specific rewriting schemes, and (iii) an approach to the semantic optimization of SPARQL queries, built on top of the classical chase algorithm. While studied in the context of a theoretically motivated set semantics, almost all results carry over to the official, bag-based semantics and therefore are of immediate practical relevance.