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View-Based Query Determinacy for Walk-Based Semantics

Author Nadime Francis

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LIPIcs.ICDT.2026.22.pdf
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Subject Classification

ACM Subject Classification
  • Theory of computation → Database theory
Keywords
  • graph databases
  • regular path queries
  • trail semantics
  • shortest walk semantics
  • view-based query determinacy

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Abstract

The view-based query determinacy problem asks, given a view 𝒱 and a query Q whether the information contained in 𝒱 always suffices to answer the query Q. It is a notoriously hard problem that is known to be undecidable even in very restricted settings. Here, we study it in the context of graph databases and regular path queries and views evaluated under several "walk-based semantics", that is, semantics in which queries and views return the matched walks in full as opposed to the classical "endpoint semantics". Our main finding is that view-based query determinacy is decidable for regular path queries under both trail and shortest walk semantics.

Cite As Get BibTex

Nadime Francis. View-Based Query Determinacy for Walk-Based Semantics. In 29th International Conference on Database Theory (ICDT 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 365, pp. 22:1-22:21, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026) https://doi.org/10.4230/LIPIcs.ICDT.2026.22

Author Details

Nadime Francis
  • LIGM, Université Gustave Eiffel, CNRS, Marne-la-Vallée, France

Acknowledgements

I gratefully thank Yann Strozecki for reading early versions of this work and providing constructive feedback.

References

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