SchenQL: A query language for bibliographic data with aggregations and domain-specific functions

TL;DR

SchenQL is a domain-specific query language and web interface designed for bibliographic data, enabling complex searches, aggregations, and domain-specific functions to improve digital library information retrieval.

Contribution

This paper introduces SchenQL, a novel query language and interface that supports complex, domain-specific searches and data aggregations in bibliographic databases.

Findings

Supports complex queries with aggregations

Provides domain-specific functions for bibliographic data

Suitable for both experts and casual users

Abstract

Current search interfaces of digital libraries are not suitable to satisfy complex or convoluted information needs directly, when it comes to cases such as "Find authors who only recently started working on a topic". They might offer possibilities to obtain this information only by requiring vast user interaction. We present SchenQL, a web interface of a domain-specific query language on bibliographic metadata, which offers information search and exploration by query formulation and navigation in the system. Our system focuses on supporting aggregation of data and providing specialised domain dependent functions while being suitable for domain experts as well as casual users of digital libraries.