Book Image

Graph Data Modeling in Python

By : Gary Hutson, Matt Jackson
Book Image

Graph Data Modeling in Python

By: Gary Hutson, Matt Jackson

Overview of this book

Graphs have become increasingly integral to powering the products and services we use in our daily lives, driving social media, online shopping recommendations, and even fraud detection. With this book, you’ll see how a good graph data model can help enhance efficiency and unlock hidden insights through complex network analysis. Graph Data Modeling in Python will guide you through designing, implementing, and harnessing a variety of graph data models using the popular open source Python libraries NetworkX and igraph. Following practical use cases and examples, you’ll find out how to design optimal graph models capable of supporting a wide range of queries and features. Moreover, you’ll seamlessly transition from traditional relational databases and tabular data to the dynamic world of graph data structures that allow powerful, path-based analyses. As well as learning how to manage a persistent graph database using Neo4j, you’ll also get to grips with adapting your network model to evolving data requirements. By the end of this book, you’ll be able to transform tabular data into powerful graph data models. In essence, you’ll build your knowledge from beginner to advanced-level practitioner in no time.
Table of Contents (16 chapters)
1
Part 1: Getting Started with Graph Data Modeling
4
Part 2: Making the Graph Transition
7
Part 3: Storing and Productionizing Graphs
11
Part 4: Graphing Like a Pro

Using graph databases

In all the previous chapters, we have been creating graphs in memory as part of Python scripts. This is fine for analytical work, or when creating proof-of-concept applications, but for workflows that need to scale, or for long-term storage, Python and igraph will not be enough.

In production systems that involve graphs, a graph database acts as a persistent data storage solution. As well as holding large amounts of data, graph databases are typically designed to perform a large number of read and write operations efficiently and concurrently. They are likely to be part of any production pipeline that relies on huge amounts of graph data processing, such as in a recommender system for a large online retailer.

As well as holding data, graph databases allow basic queries to be carried out on the data they hold. Many of these databases can be queried with at least one of several common graph query languages, such as Cypher, GraphQL, or Gremlin. In this chapter...