1. SPARQL 1.1
Update Language
SPARQL 1.1 Update

2. Overview
• SPARQL 1.1 Update Overview
• Graph Updates
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Insert
Delete
Delete/Insert
Load
Clear
• Graph Management
– Create
– Drop
– Copy, Move, Add
SPARQL 1.1 Update
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3. SPARQL 1.1 Update Overview
• SPARQL 1.1 increases further the prominence of
named graphs in RDF
• It offers three ways to affect explicitly specified data
within a graph (or graphs):
– INSERT DATA
– DELETE DATA
– DELETE/INSERT … WHERE …
• It also offers two ways to further change the data
within a graph:
– LOAD – CLEAR
• It offers a set of graph management operations:
– CREATE – DROP – COPY – MOVE – ADD
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4. INSERT DATA
• The most basic part of SPARQL 1.1 Update is to allow
data to be inserted into a store, e.g.:
INSERT DATA {ou:barry foaf:givenName "Barry";
foaf:familyName "Norton";
foaf:mbox <mailto:barry.norton@sti2.at>}
• While a default graph may be supported, it is common
to manage data in a named graph:
INSERT DATA { GRAPH <http://ontotext.com/ns#>
{onto:barry1 foaf:givenName "Barry";
foaf:familyName "Bishop";
foaf:mbox <barry.bishop@ontotext.com>}}
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5. DELETE DATA
• SPARQL 1.1 Update also allows deletion of explicitly
described triples:
DELETE DATA {sti:barry foaf:mbox
<mailto:barry.norton@sti2.at>}
• Note that no blank nodes are allowed in these DELETE
queries since these match any resource in SPARQL
(Cf.:
SELECT ?mbox WHERE {_:barry foaf:mbox ?mbox}
mbox
<mailto:b.j.norton@open.ac.uk>
SPARQL 1.1 Update
)
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6. DELETE/INSERT
• SPARQL 1.1 extends the use of graph patterns for use
in parallel INSERT and DELETE, according to matches,
e.g.:
DELETE {?barry foaf:mbox <mailto:barry.norton@sti2.at>}
INSERT { GRAPH <http://ontotext.com/ns#>
{onto:barry foaf:givenName ?forename;
foaf:familyName ?surname;
foaf:mbox <mailto:barry.norton@ontotext.com>}}
WHERE {?barry foaf:mbox <mailto:barry.norton@sti2.at>;
foaf:givenName ?forename;
foaf:familyName ?surname}
}
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7. DELETE WHERE
• SPARQL 1.1 offers a simpler form of INSERT/DELETE
when just deleting:
DELETE {?barry foaf:mbox <mailto:barry.norton@sti2.at>}
WHERE {?barry foaf:mbox <mailto:barry.norton@sti2.at>}
DELETE
WHERE {?barry foaf:mbox <mailto:barry.norton@sti2.at>}
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8. USING/WITH
• SPARQL Update uses USING (NAMED) in role of
FROM (NAMED) with respect to WHERE clauses
INSERT { GRAPH <http://ontotext.com/ns#>
{?barry foaf:nick "Baz"}}
USING <http://ontotext.com/ns#>
WHERE {?barry foaf:givenName "Barry"}
• It also offers a simpler way to deal with the same
named graph throughout a DELETE/INSERT query
WITH <http://ontotext.com/ns#>
INSERT {?barry foaf:nick "Baz"}
WHERE {?barry foaf:givenName "Barry"}
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9. LOAD/CLEAR
• SPARQL 1.1 allows an RDF graph to be loaded from a
URL, e.g.:
LOAD <http://xmlns.com/foaf/spec/20100809.rdf>
• The graph can also be loaded as a named graph, e.g.:
LOAD
<http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3954923/ontotext.rdf.ttl>
INTO <http://ontotext.com/ns#>
• A named graph can also be cleared of all triples, e.g.:
CLEAR GRAPH <http://ontotext.com/ns#>
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10. Graph Management 1/2
• A new named graph can be explicitly created, e.g.:
CREATE GRAPH <http://ontotext.com/ns#>
• A new named graph can be dropped (different from
clearing if empty graphs are supported), e.g.:
DROP GRAPH <http://ontotext.com/ns#>
• We can also CLEAR, CREATE and DROP:
DEFAULT and ALL
• We also LOAD, CLEAR, CREATE and DROP with SILENT
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11. Graph Management 2/2
• The recommendation for SPARQL Update may or
may not also include:
– COPY… TO …, e.g.:
COPY GRAPH <http://www.example.com/v1#>
TO GRAPH <http://www.example.com/v2#>
– MOVE… TO …, e.g.:
MOVE GRAPH <http://www.example.com/draft#>
TO GRAPH <http://www.example.com/v1#>
– ADD… TO …, e.g.:
ADD GRAPH <http://ontotext.com/ns#>
TO GRAPH <http://sirma.bg/ns#>
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