What problem does SPARQLMotion address

Building data integration scripts is very resource consuming. A data processing/ETL tool with pre-built data manipulations modules, particularly one that is GUI-based, can dramatically increase productivity, quality and maintainability.

BENEFITS

SPEED AND EASE OF SEMANTIC DATA PROCESSING

• Easy pipelining of processing steps using a wide choice of built-in modules for working with both RDF and non-RDF sources
• Visual programming tool with ‘drag and drop’ enables rapid creation of scripts
• Auto-generation of queries
• Allows business analysts to build and maintain scripts
• Powerful interactive debugger
• Rapid construction and deployment of web services

EXTENSIBLE LIBRARY OF SCRIPTING COMPONENTS

• Model-driven approach means that existing components can be used to power many processing steps
• SPARQL and SPIN make it possible to perform virtually any transformation
• Java API for full flexibility in developing custom modules

MANAGEMENT AND REUSE OF SCRIPTS

• Scripts can import and extend other scripts – work done on one project can be easily reused on another
• Scripts are RDF-based and can be queried for model consistency

CONSISTENT APPROACH TO SEMANTIC SERVICE-ORIENTED ARCHITECTURE

• Automatic generation of REST Web Services
• Fully compliant with W3C RDF,OWL and SPARQL standards

SPARQLMotion is a user-friendly cost-effective foundation for semantic data processing. Processing steps including queries and data transformations are quickly assembled with pre-built components and easy to use graphical tools, saving weeks of development time. SPARQLMotion scripts are data services that transform information from virtually any business system – loading data into databases and/or returning RDF, XML, JSON, HTML, and other formats. Simply put, SPARQLMotion delivers RDF-based ETL.

Script developers can chain together simple processing steps to form complex processing pipelines. Assembled data processing pipelines are used to merge, search, transform and mash-up data. As a result, disparate services, data sources and feeds can be quickly tied together to create new applications such as reports, information dashboards and data exchanges between the backend systems.

SPARQLMotion scripts are defined in RDF using modules for importing, processing and exporting data. TopBraid platform includes over 120 (and growing) extensible modules that implement a comprehensive range of data handing tasks. Each module is a class in an ontology. Beyond handling data, the SPARQLMotion engine can prompt the user for input and generate user interface components such as maps and calendars, or create files such as spreadsheets and XML documents.

• Scripts are developed and tested in TopBraid Composer – Maestro Edition
• Scripts are deployed on TopBraid servers where they can be called as web services, pro-active agents, or be invoked by applications through APIs

TopBraid Composer provides facilities for developing scripts using drag and drop paradigm. It also includes a very convenient debugger with the ability to set breakpoints and examine data in the pipeline at each step. Tutorials and demos, available from this page, will help you get started. For a more in depth training on SPARQLMotion and other TopBraid application development tools, consider taking a training.

A script may be invoked as a REST Web Service returning data in XML, RDF, JSON, or plain text. REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style that allows services to be exposed and consumed over the Web using only a simple URL.

SPARQLMotion includes a wealth of modules. The most recent library of modules can be found in TopBraid Composer help under Reference topic. In addition to SPARQLMotion-specific modules, any SPIN or SHACL function can be used as a module in a script.

SPARQLMotion is extensible. Where necessary, existing pre-built modules can be subclassed to create a new customized module. Furthermore, Java programmers can create completely new SPARQLMotion modules.

After you develop your SPARQLMotion scripts, they can be deployed to a TopBraid EDG or Explorer server.  All services deployed on the server can be seen using TopBrad Server Administration -> Available Web Services page.

With SPARQLMotion and REST services, companies can easily expose their data and content for use and re-use by the current and future applications.

Video: Creating a SPARQLMotion Script

This 5-minute video demonstrates how to create a SPARQLMotion script with TopBraid Composer Maestro Edition. The script imports a news feed and then converts the resulting RDF triples into a spreadsheet file.
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Note changes since the recording: To create a script, you no longer need to start with an empty file and add imports. Instead, simply select New -> RDF/SPARQLMotion file from the menu. All imports are added automatically.

Web service with SPARQLMotion in 5 Easy Steps

A short series of slides with step by step instructions showing how to create a RESTful web service using SPARQLMotion.
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Video: Creating a SPARQLMotion Web Service for Data Transformation

This video shows how to create a SPARQLMotion REST service that loads a source file, performs transformations defined as SPIN rules in the mapping model and produces an output file. View >>
To try the service yourself download the example TopBraid Composer project. Make sure to consult project’s readme file.