Output-sensitive Conjunctive Query Evaluation

TL;DR

This paper introduces an output-sensitive algorithm for evaluating acyclic conjunctive queries with free variables, improving efficiency over traditional methods and matching lower bounds under certain conjectures.

Contribution

It generalizes the Yannakakis algorithm to be output-sensitive for a broader class of queries, with polynomial improvements and no reliance on fast matrix multiplication.

Findings

Improves running time of Yannakakis algorithm polynomially.

Matches lower bounds conditioned on $k$-clique conjecture.

Enhances evaluation of common queries like paths and stars.

Abstract

Join evaluation is one of the most fundamental operations performed by database systems and arguably the most well-studied problem in the Database community. A staggering number of join algorithms have been developed, and commercial database engines use finely tuned join heuristics that take into account many factors including the selectivity of predicates, memory, IO, etc. However, most of the results have catered to either full join queries or non-full join queries but with degree constraints (such as PK-FK relationships) that make joins \emph{easier} to evaluate. Further, most of the algorithms are also not output-sensitive. In this paper, we present a novel, output-sensitive algorithm for the evaluation of acyclic Conjunctive Queries (CQs) that contain arbitrary free variables. Our result is based on a novel generalization of the Yannakakis algorithm and shows that it is possible to improve the running time guarantee of the Yannakakis algorithm by a polynomial factor. Importantly, our algorithmic improvement does not depend on the use of fast matrix multiplication, as a recently proposed algorithm does. The upper bound is complemented with matching lower bounds conditioned on two variants of the $k$-clique conjecture. The application of our algorithm recovers known prior results and improves on known state-of-the-art results for common queries such as paths and stars.