Advanced query language for social networks (Technion)

Online social networks have recently gained much popularity. They provide efficient means to create social interactions and therefore being used as a business and professional development tool.
However, their usefulness and popularity results in large and quickly increasing amounts of data to retrieve and manage.
Usually, social network users are offered a simple query language that doesn't support complex retrieval information such as paths or groups of participants, whereas manual retrieval jobs are hard and expansive.
Therefore, a simple yet expressive query language is needed in order to enable wide retrieval options and better data management.
SoQL, Our novel query language enable users to retrieve paths between users in the network and use the shortest “acquaintance path" in order to connect between users.
Such a complex retrieval job is possible due to SoQL special syntax which combines SQL simple structure, novel selection commands and facebook's own features like paths and groups .
Moreover, after retrieving the shortest "acquaintance path" SoQl syntax offers novel connection commands between seekers and retrieved participants. These special commands and a simple query language structure provide SoQL wide retrieving possibilities of useful data from vast databases.

• Wide retrieving possibilities from vast databases for social network end users.
• Better data management and easy data updating for social networks administrators.

• Open social networks such as Facebook and Myspace
• Business and professional social networks

COM-1094

Israel