Getting Started
To start using visual schema drawing and query creation functionality of ViziQuer, a user environment needs to be created and the user needs to log into the server.
The use of the server without the log in functionality is available in the Public Diagrams context, where the visual query creation and SPARQL Query visualization (but not the visual schema diagrams) are available.
You can use ViziQuer on ViziQuer Playground, or create a Local Installation of ViziQuer (either using ViziQuer Tools Docker environment, or doing a manual installation).
To start using ViziQuer log in to ViziQuer Playground (or to your local installation).
Sign up if you do not have an account yet (any e-mail-like string currently works as an account name, e-mail verification is not performed, still we recommend using existing email addresses).
Fill in all fields to have the "Sign up" button enabled. After the sign-up, click the "Home" button to get to the sign-in dialogue, where you can use the created credentials.
After the sign-in, you will see the "Projects" screen (this screen can also be accessed by choosing "Projects" in the left sidebar) where you can start a new Project or explore your existing Projects.
In the "Projects" window you can access all projects that you have created.
To create a new project, follow Creating a New Project guide, or start with Exploring Sample Projects to work through some predefined query examples.
Any project needs to be associated with a data schema (DSS Schema) that is stored on a dedicated DSS Server alongside ViziQuer and is used as information source for the Visual Data Schema Diagrams and for visual query auto-completion (Creating Visual Queries).
Currently there are two types of visual diagrams in ViziQuer:
- "Data Schema", and
- "Query".
The data schema diagrams are typically created automatically from the data schema associated with the project (use the "Data Schema" button in the main project's view; the schema fragments and some diagram construction parameters can be specified by the user; the schema can be visually tuned after its creation). There can be several schema diagrams in a project, built according to different parameter sets. See Visual Data Schema Diagrams for details.
The visual query diagrams are created explicitly by the user (New Diagram button in the "Diagrams" window (main window) of the project, followed by the choice of "Query" as the diagram type). Examples of existing query diagrams can be looked at by Exploring Sample Projects on ViziQuer Playground.
Visual query diagrams allow both:
Visualizing SPARQL Queries is possible also in the Public Diagrams context.
Information about visual query construction is also available in legacy materials:
To facilitate the construction of visual queries, ViziQuer requires knowledge of the schema (including classes, properties, etc.) of the SPARQL endpoint. Several schemas from popular knowledge graphs are already preloaded on ViziQuer Playground and are immediately available for use.
If you need to query a SPARQL endpoint whose schema is not preloaded, the Local Installation of ViziQuer would give you full control of the tool database, where you could upload the schema.
We may also add some data schemas to the ViziQuer Playground upon request (by writing a Github ticket or e-mailing us at viziquer@lumii.lv).