Property Graph Model

<h2 id="property-graph-model" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Property Graph Model <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="property-graph-model" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Property Graph Model"> Share link </button> </h2><div id="headingShareModal" class="heading-share-modal" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" aria-labelledby="headingShareTitle" hidden> <div class="hsm-dialog" role="document"> <div class="hsm-header"> <h2 id="headingShareTitle" class="h6 mb-0 fw-bold">Share this section</h2> <button type="button" class="hsm-close" aria-label="Close"> </button> </div> <div class="hsm-body"> <label for="headingShareInput" class="form-label small text-muted mb-1 text-uppercase fw-bold" style="font-size: 0.7rem; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Permalink</label> <div class="input-group mb-4 hsm-url-group"> <input id="headingShareInput" type="text" class="form-control font-monospace" readonly aria-readonly="true" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" /> <button class="btn btn-primary hsm-copy" type="button" aria-label="Copy" title="Copy"> </button> </div> <div class="small fw-bold mb-2 text-muted text-uppercase" style="font-size: 0.7rem; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Share via</div> <div class="hsm-share-grid"> <a id="share-twitter" class="btn btn-outline-secondary w-100" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Twitter </a> <a id="share-linkedin" class="btn btn-outline-secondary w-100" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> LinkedIn </a> <a id="share-facebook" class="btn btn-outline-secondary w-100" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Facebook </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <style> .heading-share-modal { position: fixed; inset: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); z-index: 1050; padding: 1rem; backdrop-filter: blur(4px); -webkit-backdrop-filter: blur(4px); } .heading-share-modal[hidden] { display: none !important; } .hsm-dialog { max-width: 420px; width: 100%; background: var(--bs-body-bg, #fff); color: var(--bs-body-color, #212529); border: 1px solid var(--bs-border-color, rgba(0,0,0,0.1)); border-radius: 1rem; box-shadow: 0 25px 50px -12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); 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'fa-duotone fa-clipboard-check':'fa-duotone fa-circle-exclamation'; setTimeout(()=>{ icon.className=prev; },1800); } function handleShareClick(e){ e.preventDefault(); const btn=e.currentTarget; const id=btn.getAttribute('data-share-target'); if(id) openModal(id); } function bindShareButtons(){ document.querySelectorAll('.h-share').forEach(btn=>{ if(!btn.dataset.hShareBound){ btn.addEventListener('click', handleShareClick); btn.dataset.hShareBound='1'; } }); } bindShareButtons(); if(document.readyState==='loading'){ document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', bindShareButtons); } else { requestAnimationFrame(bindShareButtons); } document.addEventListener('click', function(e){ const shareBtn=e.target.closest && e.target.closest('.h-share'); if(shareBtn && !shareBtn.dataset.hShareBound){ handleShareClick.call(shareBtn, e); } }, true); document.addEventListener('click', e=>{ if(e.target===modal) closeModal(); if(e.target.closest && e.target.closest('.hsm-close')){ e.preventDefault(); closeModal(); } if(copyBtn && (e.target===copyBtn || (e.target.closest && e.target.closest('.hsm-copy')))) { e.preventDefault(); copyCurrent(); } }); document.addEventListener('keydown', e=>{ if(e.key==='Escape' && isOpen()) closeModal(); }); function trapFocus(){ if(trapBound) return; trapBound=true; modal.addEventListener('keydown', f=>{ if(f.key==='Tab' && isOpen()){ const focusable=[...modal.querySelectorAll('a[href],button,input,textarea,select,[tabindex]:not([tabindex="-1"])')].filter(el=>!el.hasAttribute('disabled')); if(!focusable.length) return; const first=focusable[0]; const last=focusable[focusable.length-1]; if(f.shiftKey && document.activeElement===first){ f.preventDefault(); last.focus(); } else if(!f.shiftKey && document.activeElement===last){ f.preventDefault(); first.focus(); } } }); } if(closeBtn) closeBtn.addEventListener('click', e=>{ e.preventDefault(); closeModal(); }); })(); </script>The property graph model is the most widely adopted graph database model, used by Geode, Neo4j, Amazon Neptune, TigerGraph, and many others. It provides an intuitive, flexible way to model complex, interconnected data by representing entities as nodes and connections as relationships, with both capable of holding rich property data. <h3 id="core-concepts" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Core Concepts <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="core-concepts" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Core Concepts"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="nodes-vertices" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Nodes (Vertices) <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="nodes-vertices" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Nodes (Vertices)"> Share link </button> </h4>Nodes represent entities in your domain model: people, products, locations, events, documents, or any discrete object. Characteristics: <ul> <li>Unique identity (typically an ID)</li> <li>Zero or more labels for categorization</li> <li>Zero or more properties (key-value pairs)</li> </ul> <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Simple node (p:Person) -- Node with properties (p:Person { id: 'user_12345', name: 'Alice Johnson', email: 'alice@example.com', age: 32, city: 'San Francisco', joined: DATE '2024-01-15', verified: true }) -- Node with multiple labels (e:Person:Employee:Manager { id: 'emp_789', name: 'Bob Smith', department: 'Engineering' }) </code></pre></div> <h4 id="relationships-edges" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Relationships (Edges) <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="relationships-edges" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Relationships (Edges)"> Share link </button> </h4>Relationships connect nodes and represent how entities relate to each other. Characteristics: <ul> <li>Always directed (source → target)</li> <li>Always have a type/label</li> <li>Connect exactly two nodes (source and target)</li> <li>Can have properties</li> </ul> <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Simple relationship (alice:Person)-[:KNOWS]->(bob:Person) -- Relationship with properties (alice)-[:KNOWS { since: DATE '2020-05-15', context: 'college', strength: 0.85 }]->(bob) -- Multiple relationships between same nodes (alice)-[:FOLLOWS]->(bob) (alice)-[:WORKS_WITH]->(bob) (alice)-[:KNOWS]->(bob) </code></pre></div> <h4 id="properties" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Properties <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="properties" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Properties"> Share link </button> </h4>Properties are key-value pairs that store data on nodes and relationships. Supported Data Types (in Geode): <ul> <li>Primitives: INTEGER, FLOAT, STRING, BOOLEAN</li> <li>Temporal: DATE, TIME, TIMESTAMP, DURATION</li> <li>Complex: LIST, MAP</li> <li>Special: NULL</li> </ul> <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Various property types INSERT (p:Product { id: 'prod_123', -- STRING name: 'Wireless Headphones', -- STRING price: 99.99, -- FLOAT stock: 47, -- INTEGER available: true, -- BOOLEAN released: DATE '2024-03-15', -- DATE last_updated: CURRENT_TIMESTAMP, -- TIMESTAMP tags: ['audio', 'wireless', 'premium'], -- LIST specs: { battery: '30 hours', weight: '250g', bluetooth: '5.3' } -- MAP }); </code></pre></div> <h4 id="labels" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Labels <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="labels" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Labels"> Share link </button> </h4>Labels categorize nodes into types or groups, enabling efficient filtering and schema organization. Single Label: <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">INSERT (u:User {name: 'Alice'}); MATCH (u:User) RETURN u.name; </code></pre></div>Multiple Labels: <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Node can have multiple labels INSERT (e:Person:Employee:Manager {name: 'Bob'}); -- Query by any label MATCH (p:Person) WHERE p.name = 'Bob' RETURN p; MATCH (m:Manager) WHERE m.name = 'Bob' RETURN m; </code></pre></div> <h3 id="directed-vs-undirected-relationships" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Directed vs. Undirected Relationships <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="directed-vs-undirected-relationships" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Directed vs. Undirected Relationships"> Share link </button> </h3>The property graph model uses directed relationships by default, meaning every relationship has a source and target node. <h4 id="directed-relationships" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Directed Relationships <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="directed-relationships" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Directed Relationships"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Alice follows Bob (unidirectional) (alice:Person)-[:FOLLOWS]->(bob:Person) -- Query respects direction MATCH (a:Person {name: 'Alice'})-[:FOLLOWS]->(followed) RETURN followed.name; -- Returns 'Bob' MATCH (a:Person {name: 'Alice'})<-[:FOLLOWS]-(follower) RETURN follower.name; -- Returns nothing (no one follows Alice in this example) </code></pre></div> <h4 id="modeling-bidirectional-relationships" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Modeling Bidirectional Relationships <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="modeling-bidirectional-relationships" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Modeling Bidirectional Relationships"> Share link </button> </h4>Option 1: Create two relationships <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Mutual friendship INSERT (alice)-[:FRIENDS_WITH]->(bob); INSERT (bob)-[:FRIENDS_WITH]->(alice); </code></pre></div>Option 2: Query without direction <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Query both directions with undirected pattern MATCH (alice:Person {name: 'Alice'})-[:FRIENDS_WITH]-(friend) RETURN friend.name; -- Returns friends regardless of direction </code></pre></div>Option 3: Use symmetric relationship type <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Create once, query bidirectionally INSERT (alice)-[:MARRIED_TO]->(bob); -- Query either direction MATCH (a:Person {name: 'Alice'})-[:MARRIED_TO]-(spouse) RETURN spouse.name; -- Returns 'Bob' </code></pre></div> <h3 id="schema-design-patterns" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Schema Design Patterns <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="schema-design-patterns" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Schema Design Patterns"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="entity-modeling" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Entity Modeling <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="entity-modeling" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Entity Modeling"> Share link </button> </h4>Rule of Thumb: If it’s a “thing” in your domain, it’s probably a node. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- E-commerce domain model INSERT (customer:Customer {id: 'c123', name: 'Alice'}); INSERT (product:Product {id: 'p456', name: 'Laptop', price: 1299}); INSERT (order:Order {id: 'o789', date: CURRENT_DATE, total: 1299}); INSERT (category:Category {name: 'Electronics'}); -- Relationships define the structure INSERT (customer)-[:PLACED]->(order); INSERT (order)-[:CONTAINS {quantity: 1}]->(product); INSERT (product)-[:IN_CATEGORY]->(category); </code></pre></div> <h4 id="relationship-types" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Relationship Types <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="relationship-types" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Relationship Types"> Share link </button> </h4>Choose descriptive, action-oriented relationship types: Good Examples: <ul> <li><code>:KNOWS</code>, <code>:FOLLOWS</code>, <code>:LIKES</code></li> <li><code>:WORKS_AT</code>, <code>:REPORTS_TO</code>, <code>:MANAGES</code></li> <li><code>:PURCHASED</code>, <code>:CONTAINS</code>, <code>:SHIPPED_TO</code></li> <li><code>:DEPENDS_ON</code>, <code>:IMPLEMENTS</code>, <code>:EXTENDS</code></li> </ul> Avoid: <ul> <li>Generic types like <code>:RELATED_TO</code>, <code>:CONNECTED_TO</code></li> <li>Nouns instead of verbs: <code>:FRIEND</code> (use <code>:FRIENDS_WITH</code>)</li> </ul> <h4 id="when-to-use-nodes-vs-properties" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> When to Use Nodes vs. Properties <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="when-to-use-nodes-vs-properties" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: When to Use Nodes vs. Properties"> Share link </button> </h4>Use a Node When: <ul> <li>Entity is referenced by multiple other entities</li> <li>Entity has its own relationships</li> <li>Entity has complex attributes</li> <li>You need to query by this entity</li> </ul> Use a Property When: <ul> <li>Simple attribute value</li> <li>Not queried independently</li> <li>Not shared across entities</li> <li>No relationships of its own</li> </ul> <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- GOOD: Address as node (shared, has relationships) INSERT (alice:Person {name: 'Alice'}); INSERT (addr:Address {street: '123 Main St', city: 'SF', zip: '94102'}); INSERT (alice)-[:LIVES_AT]->(addr); -- Multiple people can live at same address -- GOOD: Email as property (simple, unique to person) INSERT (bob:Person {name: 'Bob', email: 'bob@example.com'}); -- BAD: Address as property (can't be shared) INSERT (charlie:Person { name: 'Charlie', address: '123 Main St, SF 94102' -- Can't share or query efficiently }); </code></pre></div> <h4 id="hierarchical-data" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Hierarchical Data <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="hierarchical-data" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Hierarchical Data"> Share link </button> </h4>Tree Structures: <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Organization hierarchy INSERT (ceo:Employee {name: 'CEO', title: 'Chief Executive'}); INSERT (cto:Employee {name: 'CTO', title: 'Chief Technology Officer'}); INSERT (dev1:Employee {name: 'Alice', title: 'Senior Developer'}); INSERT (dev2:Employee {name: 'Bob', title: 'Developer'}); INSERT (cto)-[:REPORTS_TO]->(ceo); INSERT (dev1)-[:REPORTS_TO]->(cto); INSERT (dev2)-[:REPORTS_TO]->(dev1); -- Query hierarchy MATCH path = (e:Employee)-[:REPORTS_TO*]->(ceo:Employee {title: 'Chief Executive'}) RETURN e.name, length(path) AS levels_from_ceo ORDER BY levels_from_ceo; </code></pre></div>Category Hierarchies: <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Product categories INSERT (electronics:Category {name: 'Electronics'}); INSERT (computers:Category {name: 'Computers'}); INSERT (laptops:Category {name: 'Laptops'}); INSERT (laptops)-[:SUBCATEGORY_OF]->(computers); INSERT (computers)-[:SUBCATEGORY_OF]->(electronics); -- Find all products in category hierarchy MATCH (product:Product)-[:IN_CATEGORY]->(category:Category) WHERE category.name = 'Laptops' OR (category)-[:SUBCATEGORY_OF*]->(parent:Category {name: 'Laptops'}) RETURN product.name; </code></pre></div> <h4 id="many-to-many-relationships" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Many-to-Many Relationships <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="many-to-many-relationships" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Many-to-Many Relationships"> Share link </button> </h4>Graph models naturally represent many-to-many relationships without junction tables. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Students and courses (many-to-many) INSERT (alice:Student {name: 'Alice'}); INSERT (bob:Student {name: 'Bob'}); INSERT (math:Course {name: 'Mathematics 101'}); INSERT (cs:Course {name: 'Computer Science 101'}); -- Direct relationships INSERT (alice)-[:ENROLLED_IN {semester: 'Fall 2024', grade: NULL}]->(math); INSERT (alice)-[:ENROLLED_IN {semester: 'Fall 2024', grade: NULL}]->(cs); INSERT (bob)-[:ENROLLED_IN {semester: 'Fall 2024', grade: NULL}]->(math); -- Query: students in a course MATCH (s:Student)-[:ENROLLED_IN]->(c:Course {name: 'Mathematics 101'}) RETURN s.name; -- Query: courses for a student MATCH (s:Student {name: 'Alice'})-[:ENROLLED_IN]->(c:Course) RETURN c.name; </code></pre></div> <h4 id="reified-relationships-hyperedges" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Reified Relationships (Hyperedges) <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="reified-relationships-hyperedges" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Reified Relationships (Hyperedges)"> Share link </button> </h4>When relationships need their own relationships, convert them to nodes. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- BAD: Can't attach relationships to relationships directly (alice)-[:WORKED_ON {role: 'Developer'}]->(project) -- How to represent: manager approved this assignment? -- GOOD: Reify relationship as node INSERT (assignment:Assignment { role: 'Developer', start_date: DATE '2024-01-15', status: 'active' }); INSERT (alice:Person)-[:ASSIGNED]->(assignment); INSERT (assignment)-[:FOR_PROJECT]->(project:Project); INSERT (manager:Person)-[:APPROVED]->(assignment); INSERT (assignment)-[:APPROVED_BY]->(manager); </code></pre></div> <h4 id="temporal-modeling" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Temporal Modeling <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="temporal-modeling" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Temporal Modeling"> Share link </button> </h4>Model data that changes over time. Version 1: Properties on Relationships: <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Simple: dates on relationship INSERT (alice)-[:EMPLOYED_BY { start_date: DATE '2024-01-15', end_date: NULL, position: 'Engineer' }]->(company); </code></pre></div>Version 2: Separate Time Periods: <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Complex: multiple employment periods INSERT (employment:Employment { position: 'Junior Engineer', start_date: DATE '2024-01-15', end_date: DATE '2024-06-30' }); INSERT (alice:Person)-[:HAD_EMPLOYMENT]->(employment); INSERT (employment)-[:AT_COMPANY]->(company:Company); INSERT (employment2:Employment { position: 'Senior Engineer', start_date: DATE '2024-07-01', end_date: NULL -- Current }); INSERT (alice)-[:HAD_EMPLOYMENT]->(employment2); INSERT (employment2)-[:AT_COMPANY]->(company); </code></pre></div> <h4 id="provenance-and-metadata" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Provenance and Metadata <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="provenance-and-metadata" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Provenance and Metadata"> Share link </button> </h4>Track data lineage and metadata. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Provenance pattern INSERT (data:DataSet {name: 'Customer Analytics Q1 2024'}); INSERT (source1:DataSource {name: 'CRM Export', type: 'CSV'}); INSERT (source2:DataSource {name: 'Web Analytics', type: 'API'}); INSERT (transform:Transformation { script: 'etl_pipeline_v2.py', executed_at: CURRENT_TIMESTAMP, executed_by: 'etl_service' }); INSERT (data)-[:DERIVED_FROM {timestamp: CURRENT_TIMESTAMP}]->(transform); INSERT (transform)-[:USED_SOURCE]->(source1); INSERT (transform)-[:USED_SOURCE]->(source2); </code></pre></div> <h3 id="advanced-modeling-patterns" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Advanced Modeling Patterns <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="advanced-modeling-patterns" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Advanced Modeling Patterns"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="super-nodes-hub-nodes" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Super Nodes (Hub Nodes) <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="super-nodes-hub-nodes" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Super Nodes (Hub Nodes)"> Share link </button> </h4>Avoid nodes with millions of relationships (degrades performance). Problem: <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- BAD: Country node connected to millions of users INSERT (user1)-[:LIVES_IN]->(usa:Country); INSERT (user2)-[:LIVES_IN]->(usa:Country); -- ... millions more </code></pre></div>Solution 1: Use property instead <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Store country as property, index it INSERT (user:User {name: 'Alice', country: 'USA'}); CREATE INDEX user_country ON User(country); </code></pre></div>Solution 2: Intermediate grouping nodes <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Add state/region level INSERT (user)-[:LIVES_IN]->(state:State {name: 'California'}); INSERT (state)-[:IN_COUNTRY]->(country:Country {name: 'USA'}); </code></pre></div> <h4 id="qualified-relationships" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Qualified Relationships <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="qualified-relationships" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Qualified Relationships"> Share link </button> </h4>Add context to relationships through properties. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Social network with relationship context INSERT (alice)-[:KNOWS { context: 'colleague', strength: 0.8, since: DATE '2022-03-15', last_interaction: CURRENT_TIMESTAMP }]->(bob); -- Query by relationship qualities MATCH (a:Person {name: 'Alice'})-[k:KNOWS]->(friend) WHERE k.context = 'colleague' AND k.strength > 0.5 RETURN friend.name, k.since; </code></pre></div> <h4 id="multi-graph-modeling" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Multi-Graph Modeling <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="multi-graph-modeling" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Multi-Graph Modeling"> Share link </button> </h4>Separate logical graphs within one database. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Use properties to segment graphs INSERT (alice:Person {tenant_id: 'company_a', name: 'Alice'}); INSERT (bob:Person {tenant_id: 'company_b', name: 'Bob'}); -- Query single tenant MATCH (p:Person {tenant_id: 'company_a'}) RETURN p.name; -- Or use row-level security CREATE POLICY tenant_isolation ON ALL USING (tenant_id = current_tenant()); </code></pre></div> <h3 id="schema-evolution" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Schema Evolution <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="schema-evolution" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Schema Evolution"> Share link </button> </h3>The property graph model supports flexible schema evolution. <h4 id="adding-new-properties" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Adding New Properties <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="adding-new-properties" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Adding New Properties"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Existing nodes INSERT (user:User {name: 'Alice', email: 'alice@example.com'}); -- Later: add new property to specific nodes MATCH (u:User {name: 'Alice'}) SET u.phone = '+1-555-0100'; -- New nodes include new property INSERT (user2:User { name: 'Bob', email: 'bob@example.com', phone: '+1-555-0200' }); </code></pre></div> <h4 id="adding-new-labels" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Adding New Labels <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="adding-new-labels" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Adding New Labels"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Add label to existing node MATCH (u:User {email: 'alice@example.com'}) SET u:PremiumUser; -- Now node has both labels MATCH (u:User:PremiumUser) RETURN u.name; </code></pre></div> <h4 id="adding-new-relationship-types" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Adding New Relationship Types <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="adding-new-relationship-types" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Adding New Relationship Types"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Existing relationships INSERT (alice)-[:FOLLOWS]->(bob); -- Add new relationship type INSERT (alice)-[:BLOCKS]->(spammer:User {name: 'Spammer'}); -- Both relationship types coexist MATCH (alice:User {name: 'Alice'})-[r]-(other) RETURN type(r), other.name; </code></pre></div> <h3 id="best-practices" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Best Practices <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="best-practices" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Best Practices"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="1-model-for-your-queries" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> 1. Model for Your Queries <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="1-model-for-your-queries" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: 1. Model for Your Queries"> Share link </button> </h4>Design your graph based on how you’ll query it, not just how you think about the domain. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- If you frequently need "products a user might like" -- Model user preferences and product attributes to support this query MATCH (u:User {id: $user_id})-[:LIKES]->(pref:Preference) MATCH (p:Product)-[:HAS_ATTRIBUTE]->(pref) WHERE NOT EXISTS { MATCH (u)-[:PURCHASED]->(p) } RETURN p.name, count(pref) AS match_score ORDER BY match_score DESC; </code></pre></div> <h4 id="2-use-meaningful-names" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> 2. Use Meaningful Names <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="2-use-meaningful-names" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: 2. Use Meaningful Names"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- GOOD: Clear, specific names (person:Person)-[:WORKS_AT]->(company:Company) (user:User)-[:PURCHASED]->(product:Product) -- BAD: Generic, unclear names (node1:Entity)-[:RELATED_TO]->(node2:Entity) </code></pre></div> <h4 id="3-normalize-carefully" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> 3. Normalize Carefully <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="3-normalize-carefully" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: 3. Normalize Carefully"> Share link </button> </h4>Unlike relational databases, some denormalization is acceptable and beneficial in graphs. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- OK to duplicate data for query performance INSERT (order:Order { id: 'o123', customer_id: 'c456', customer_name: 'Alice', -- Denormalized for quick access total: 99.99 }); INSERT (order)-[:PLACED_BY]->(customer:Customer {id: 'c456', name: 'Alice'}); </code></pre></div> <h4 id="4-index-strategically" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> 4. Index Strategically <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="4-index-strategically" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: 4. Index Strategically"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Index properties used for lookups CREATE INDEX user_email ON User(email); CREATE INDEX product_sku ON Product(sku); CREATE INDEX order_date ON Order(order_date); </code></pre></div> <h4 id="5-avoid-over-connecting" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> 5. Avoid Over-Connecting <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="5-avoid-over-connecting" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: 5. Avoid Over-Connecting"> Share link </button> </h4>Don’t create relationships just because data is related conceptually. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- BAD: Redundant relationship INSERT (user)-[:LIVES_IN]->(city:City); INSERT (city)-[:IN_STATE]->(state:State); INSERT (user)-[:LIVES_IN_STATE]->(state); -- Redundant! Can be derived -- GOOD: Derive through traversal MATCH (user:User)-[:LIVES_IN]->(city)-[:IN_STATE]->(state) RETURN state.name; </code></pre></div> <h3 id="common-modeling-mistakes" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Common Modeling Mistakes <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="common-modeling-mistakes" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Common Modeling Mistakes"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="1-storing-lists-in-properties-instead-of-relationships" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> 1. Storing Lists in Properties Instead of Relationships <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="1-storing-lists-in-properties-instead-of-relationships" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: 1. Storing Lists in Properties Instead of Relationships"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- BAD: List property INSERT (user:User { name: 'Alice', friend_ids: ['user_2', 'user_3', 'user_4'] -- Hard to query }); -- GOOD: Relationships INSERT (alice:User {name: 'Alice'}); INSERT (bob:User {name: 'Bob'}); INSERT (charlie:User {name: 'Charlie'}); INSERT (alice)-[:FRIENDS_WITH]->(bob); INSERT (alice)-[:FRIENDS_WITH]->(charlie); </code></pre></div> <h4 id="2-using-node-properties-instead-of-relationships" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> 2. Using Node Properties Instead of Relationships <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="2-using-node-properties-instead-of-relationships" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: 2. Using Node Properties Instead of Relationships"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- BAD: Foreign key style INSERT (order:Order { id: 'o123', customer_id: 'c456' -- Relational thinking }); -- GOOD: Relationship INSERT (order:Order {id: 'o123'}); INSERT (customer:Customer {id: 'c456'}); INSERT (order)-[:PLACED_BY]->(customer); </code></pre></div> <h4 id="3-single-super-label" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> 3. Single Super Label <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="3-single-super-label" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: 3. Single Super Label"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- BAD: Generic label with type property INSERT (entity:Entity {type: 'person', name: 'Alice'}); INSERT (entity:Entity {type: 'company', name: 'Acme Corp'}); -- GOOD: Specific labels INSERT (person:Person {name: 'Alice'}); INSERT (company:Company {name: 'Acme Corp'}); </code></pre></div> <h3 id="model-validation" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Model Validation <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="model-validation" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Model Validation"> Share link </button> </h3>Geode supports schema constraints to ensure data quality: <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Unique constraint CREATE CONSTRAINT user_email_unique ON User(email) UNIQUE; -- Existence constraint CREATE CONSTRAINT user_email_required ON User REQUIRE email; -- Type constraint (implicit in GQL) -- Properties automatically validated against declared types </code></pre></div> <h3 id="conclusion" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Conclusion <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="conclusion" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Conclusion"> Share link </button> </h3>The property graph model provides a natural, intuitive way to model complex, interconnected data. By understanding nodes, relationships, properties, and common design patterns, you can create efficient, queryable graph schemas that closely mirror your domain and support your application’s query requirements. Explore the documentation below for detailed examples of modeling specific domains, advanced patterns, and optimization techniques.

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