schema_gsql.md

Schema Design using GSQL

🔹 1. Connect to GSQL

First, enter your container:

docker exec -it tigergraph bash

Then launch the GSQL shell:

gsql

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🔹 2. Global Context

Always start schema design with global mode:

USE GLOBAL

This allows you to define vertices, edges, and graphs.

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🔹 3. Dropping Old Schema (Optional)

Before creating a fresh schema, you may want to drop existing ones.

• Drop an edge:

DROP EDGE placed

• Drop a vertex:

DROP VERTEX Customer

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🔹 4. Creating Vertices

Define entities as vertices. Each vertex needs a PRIMARY_ID and can have attributes.

CREATE VERTEX Customer (
  PRIMARY_ID customer_id STRING,
  name STRING,
  email STRING
)

CREATE VERTEX Order (
  PRIMARY_ID order_id STRING,
  date DATETIME,
  amount FLOAT
)

CREATE VERTEX Product (
  PRIMARY_ID product_id STRING,
  name STRING,
  price FLOAT
)

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🔹 5. Creating Edges

Edges represent relationships between vertices.

CREATE DIRECTED EDGE placed (FROM Customer, TO Order)

CREATE DIRECTED EDGE contains (FROM Order, TO Product)

• DIRECTED → one-way relationship (e.g., Customer → Order).
• UNDIRECTED → two-way relationship (e.g., friendship).

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🔹 6. Creating the Graph

Finally, bundle everything into a graph object.

CREATE GRAPH ecommerceGraph(
  Customer,
  Order,
  Product,
  placed,
  contains
)

This graph now knows which vertices and edges belong together.

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🔹 7. Example Workflow

Here’s the full minimal schema file (schema.gsql):

USE GLOBAL

DROP GRAPH ecommerceGraph

DROP EDGE placed
DROP EDGE contains

DROP VERTEX Customer
DROP VERTEX Order
DROP VERTEX Product

CREATE VERTEX Customer (
  PRIMARY_ID customer_id STRING,
  name STRING,
  email STRING
)

CREATE VERTEX Order (
  PRIMARY_ID order_id STRING,
  date DATETIME,
  amount FLOAT
)

CREATE VERTEX Product (
  PRIMARY_ID product_id STRING,
  name STRING,
  price FLOAT
)

CREATE DIRECTED EDGE placed (FROM Customer, TO Order)
CREATE DIRECTED EDGE contains (FROM Order, TO Product)

CREATE GRAPH ecommerceGraph(Customer, Order, Product, placed, contains)

Run this inside GSQL:

gsql schema.gsql

Incase of any previous loading job conflicts run this to clear all vertex and edge data instances without dropping the schema (similar to truncate):

CLEAR GRAPH STORE

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🔹 8. Next Steps

• Create a loading job (LOAD statements) to load data from CSV into these vertices/edges.
• Access GraphStudio (GUI) at: 👉 http://localhost:14240