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Main Authors: de Graaf, Daan, Brijder, Robert, Chakraborty, Soham, Fletcher, George, van de Wall, Bram, Yakovets, Nikolay
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.06705
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author de Graaf, Daan
Brijder, Robert
Chakraborty, Soham
Fletcher, George
van de Wall, Bram
Yakovets, Nikolay
author_facet de Graaf, Daan
Brijder, Robert
Chakraborty, Soham
Fletcher, George
van de Wall, Bram
Yakovets, Nikolay
contents Graph database query languages cannot express algorithms like PageRank, forcing costly data wrangling, while existing solutions such as algorithm libraries, vertex-centric APIs, and recursive CTEs lack the necessary combination of expressiveness, performance, and usability. We present GraphAlg: a domain-specific language for graph algorithms that compiles to relational algebra, enabling seamless integration with query processing pipelines. Built on linear algebra foundations, GraphAlg provides intuitive matrix operations that are amenable to aggressive optimization including sparsity analysis, loop-invariant code motion, and in-place aggregation. Our implementation in AvantGraph demonstrates significant code complexity reduction compared to SQL/Python and Pregel while achieving excellent performance on LDBC Graphalytics benchmarks. GraphAlg establishes that graph databases can serve as unified platforms for both queries and analytics.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_06705
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Algorithm Support for Graph Databases, Done Right
de Graaf, Daan
Brijder, Robert
Chakraborty, Soham
Fletcher, George
van de Wall, Bram
Yakovets, Nikolay
Databases
Graph database query languages cannot express algorithms like PageRank, forcing costly data wrangling, while existing solutions such as algorithm libraries, vertex-centric APIs, and recursive CTEs lack the necessary combination of expressiveness, performance, and usability. We present GraphAlg: a domain-specific language for graph algorithms that compiles to relational algebra, enabling seamless integration with query processing pipelines. Built on linear algebra foundations, GraphAlg provides intuitive matrix operations that are amenable to aggressive optimization including sparsity analysis, loop-invariant code motion, and in-place aggregation. Our implementation in AvantGraph demonstrates significant code complexity reduction compared to SQL/Python and Pregel while achieving excellent performance on LDBC Graphalytics benchmarks. GraphAlg establishes that graph databases can serve as unified platforms for both queries and analytics.
title Algorithm Support for Graph Databases, Done Right
topic Databases
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.06705