MEBN-RM: A Mapping between Multi-Entity Bayesian Network and Relational Model

TL;DR

This paper introduces MEBN-RM, a set of rules and an algorithm for mapping relational database schemas to Multi-Entity Bayesian Network models, facilitating knowledge representation and reasoning from data.

Contribution

It defines a formal mapping between relational models and MEBN, and provides an open-source tool to automate the conversion process.

Findings

Successfully mapped relational schemas to MEBN models in two case studies.

The MEBN-RM tool streamlines MEBN model development from relational data.

Demonstrated the applicability of the mapping in real-world scenarios.

Abstract

Multi-Entity Bayesian Network (MEBN) is a knowledge representation formalism combining Bayesian Networks (BN) with First-Order Logic (FOL). MEBN has sufficient expressive power for general-purpose knowledge representation and reasoning. Developing a MEBN model to support a given application is a challenge, requiring definition of entities, relationships, random variables, conditional dependence relationships, and probability distributions. When available, data can be invaluable both to improve performance and to streamline development. By far the most common format for available data is the relational database (RDB). Relational databases describe and organize data according to the Relational Model (RM). Developing a MEBN model from data stored in an RDB therefore requires mapping between the two formalisms. This paper presents MEBN-RM, a set of mapping rules between key elements of MEBN and RM. We identify links between the two languages (RM and MEBN) and define four levels of mapping from elements of RM to elements of MEBN. These definitions are implemented in the MEBN-RM algorithm, which converts a relational schema in RM to a partial MEBN model. Through this research, the software has been released as a MEBN-RM open-source software tool. The method is illustrated through two example use cases using MEBN-RM to develop MEBN models: a Critical Infrastructure Defense System and a Smart Manufacturing System.