Go on, build apps with Microsoft Graph...

Microsoft SQL Server is for accessing data and Microsoft Graph is to access the myriad of things that are not really part of the database. The thing that spring to the mind are thins like, emails; your devices; the teams you work with; calendars; files; messages, peoples etc..

Also read this post on Graph databases:

http://hodentek.blogspot.com/2013/12/what-is-neo4j.html

A quick look at this image shows how Microsoft Graph is positioned.

Well, what is it Microsoft good for?

Believe me, you indeed have a great deal of use for it. Allow me to quote Microsoft:
'
Looks at your next meeting and helps you prepare for it by providing profile information for attendees, including their job titles and who they work with, as well as information on the latest documents and projects they're working on (pro-active, do diligence).

Scans your calendar, and suggests the best times for the next team meeting.

Fetches the latest sales projection chart from an Excel file in your OneDrive and lets you update the forecast in real time, all from your phone.

Subscribes to changes in your calendar, sends you an alert when you’re spending too much time in meetings, and provides recommendations for the ones you could miss or delegate based on how relevant the attendees are to you.

Helps you sort out personal and work information on your phone; for example, by categorizing pictures that should go to your personal OneDrive and business receipts that should go to your OneDrive for Business.
'
Behind Microsoft Graph is the Microsoft Graph API; a RESTful web api that enables you to access Microsoft Cloud serivce resources.
Come back to this blog again for more on Microsoft Graph.

Go here and gets started:

https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/graph/docs/concepts/get-started

2014 GraphConnect Conference to be held in San Francisco

On October 22 the one and only Graph database conference will be held in San Francisco. A large number of individual graphists and Global 2000 corporate presence is expected. If you are interested you can submit a paper now. Follow this link:

http://www.graphconnect.com/

This is also a comprehensive learning event if you want to get into Graph databases.



Made for social networking and more, Neo4J is one of the top graph databases. Review here:
http://www.toolsjournal.com/integrations-articles/item/2278-5-open-source-graph-databases

You can download a Neo4J manual in PDF and read about the various related information regarding the languages (to develop) that you use to work with Neo4J and the large number of companies that have gotten on to graph databases and in particular Neo4j.


Read this interesting article on Graph Databases:
http://www.neotechnology.com/50-shades-graph-graph-databases-transforming-online-dating/

What is Neo4J?

It is billed as the 'World's Leading Graph Database'.
It is a different kind of database if you are thinking about relational databases like SQL Server, Oracle etc. Graph database is all about nodes(vertex) and relationships(edges)between nodes. Both nodes and relationships have properties. On the surface it does not seem to have the rigidity of relational databases in terms of integrity relationships, but I have only skimmed the surface. If relational databases are synonymous with set theory, the Graph databases seems to lean on graph theory. These considerations apart it appears to be well suited for social networking and non-structured data. Well it may not be a good fit for relational data. Who knows the 'relational people' may add other hooks to do the same.

Get yourself acquainted with this powerful database technology here:
http://www.neo4j.org/learnfrom

Download and try. The file size is small  (x64 bit version is 65.4 MB) and easy to install. It does not work on IE right now, but only on Mozilla, Chrome and some others. Looks like they are going to include IE as well in the future. The server comes up on my IE 10; can see the documentation but cannot work with objects. 

 

This one on Mozilla.

The querying the database is called traversing the nodes, consists of hopping as it were from node to node. It has its own query language which is called Cypher which borrows some concepts from SQL and you write commands using a shell.  The web based server has a navigational side to it which can be used to do the coding and viewing responses.

Hey, download and do a test drive

Mahalo

Jay

Word of caution

The browser may come up asking to download some JAVA upgrade. Watch out, you may be downloading all sorts of programs you may not need or you will be spending energy to uninstall. Probably the upgrade is not needed, I am not sure. Before the 'Java' was run the Neo4J was working!