Semantics 1.1 Released

Intellidimension has just released its 1.1 version of Semantics.SDK and Semantics.Server. Both are available for download on our web site

Installation

You should download (click here) and install both Semantics.SDK and Semantics.Server. Be sure to install Semantics SDK first.

The Model Manager

The Model Manager is a new tool included in the 1.1 release of the Semantics.SDK. This tool exposes most of the fundamental features of our .NET API through a simple GUI. You should become familiar with the Model Manager functionality before diving into the API.

The Model Manager can be started by running the executable ModelManager.exe located in the [install dir]\bin directory of the SDK.

The Model Manger allows a user to create, save and edit a client model. A client model is a local RDF model that serves as the primary interface in the API for executing SPARQL queries. The table below describes some of the most basic components of a client model.

Data Sources	A data source is a container of triples (or quads) that can be local or remote. A model can have one or more data sources associated with it. The model manager provides a file load feature for quickly adding data to a data source. Each data source identified by a URI.
Rulebases	A rulebase is a collection of inference rules that are identified by a URI. One or more rulebases can be included in a query to execute the rules as part of the query.
Functions	A client model comes with a set of predefined SPARQL functions. However you may define custom functions of your own.

All of these components can be added, edited and removed via the tree control on the left hand side of the Model Manager.

Once you have setup your client model you can use the “Query” tab to execute and debug SPARQL queries running against your model.

Semantics.Server Setup

Semantics.Server provides an implementation of a server model. A server model is hosted on an instance of SQL Server and stores its data in a SQL Server database. The Model Manager provides a simple interface to:

• Connect to a SQL Server database.
• Install the Semantics.Server assemblies in the SQL Server database.
• Create data sources (graphs) in the server model that are backed by SQL Server tables.

To get started you need to define a connection to Semantics.Server model. Right mouse click on the “Connections” item in the tree control and select the “Add Semantics.Server Connection…” menu item.

The dialog box that is displayed allows you to install all the Semantics.Server assemblies on an instance of SQL Server. Once you define a Semantic.Server connection you can define some graphs that you will be able to include as data sources in your client model. This is how you move data between your client application and your SQL Server database.

Disclaimer

We acknowledge that the Model Manager is still a bit rough around the edges but we wanted to get it in the hands of our developer community. We welcome any feedback you might have and we are actively improving its usability (user-friendliness) as well as its feature set.

 

Now start writing that semantic application!