The NOSQL category of graph databases, as we have seen previously, is in a class of its own. In many ways, this is because the underlying data model of graph databases—the Property Graph data model—is of a very specific nature, which we will explain a bit further.
First of all, let's define the Property Graph data model. Essentially, it means that we will be storing our data in the graph database.
A graph structure means that we will be using vertices and edges (or nodes and relationships, as we prefer to call these elements) to store data in a persistent manner. As a consequence, the graph structure enables us to:
Represent data in a much more natural way, without some of the distortions of the relational data model
Apply various types of graph algorithms on these structures
In short, it enables us to treat the graph nature of that data as an essential part of our capabilities. One of the key capabilities that we will find in the remainder of this...