Provenance for SPARQL queries

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel approach to provide provenance information for a broad fragment of SPARQL 1.1, including non-monotonic constructs, by translating queries into annotated relational queries using the most general m-semiring.

Contribution

It extends provenance techniques to cover major non-monotonic SPARQL 1.1 constructs under multiset semantics, refuting previous limitations in the literature.

Findings

Provides provenance for a large SPARQL 1.1 fragment

Includes non-monotonic constructs under multiset semantics

Refutes prior claims about OPTIONAL construct limitations

Abstract

Determining trust of data available in the Semantic Web is fundamental for applications and users, in particular for linked open data obtained from SPARQL endpoints. There exist several proposals in the literature to annotate SPARQL query results with values from abstract models, adapting the seminal works on provenance for annotated relational databases. We provide an approach capable of providing provenance information for a large and significant fragment of SPARQL 1.1, including for the first time the major non-monotonic constructs under multiset semantics. The approach is based on the translation of SPARQL into relational queries over annotated relations with values of the most general m-semiring, and in this way also refuting a claim in the literature that the OPTIONAL construct of SPARQL cannot be captured appropriately with the known abstract models.