Neo4j, a leader in connected data, announced that it has released the preview version of Cypher for Apache Spark (CAPS) language toolkit. This combination allows big data analysts to incorporate graphs and graph algorithms in their work, which will dramatically broaden how they reveal connections in their data. Spark joins SAP HANA, Redis and AgensGraph, among others in supporting Cypher, the world’s leading declarative graph query language, as Neo4j’s openCypher project expands its reach.
As graph-powered applications and analytic projects gain success, big data teams are looking to connect more of their data and personnel into this work. This is happening at places like eBay (recommendations via conversational commerce), Telia (smart home) and Comcast (smart home content recommendations). Until now, data scientists have been using Spark and query tools like GraphX to define extensions to their graphs. Once identified, they would then re-implement and deploy that work within their applications. Now, with Cypher for Apache Spark, these scientists can iterate easier and connect adjacent data sources to their graph applications much more quickly.
Cypher for Apache Spark gives us a unique opportunity to introduce new features in the Cypher language itself,” explains Philip Rathle, VP of product at Neo4j. “For example, we have transformed Cypher into a composable language by enabling it to not only return tables of data, but also return graphs themselves as a result of queries. Now, a Spark data scientist can chain together in-memory Cypher queries, where each returns a graph upon which the next one operates. It eliminates a ton of previously manual steps, and throughout the process they are revealing new connections from data files in HDFS that had never previously been materialized as graphs.”
Neo4j is releasing Cypher or Apache Spark as a toolkit under the Apache license, in order to unite Cypher with the broadest community of big data analysts, data scientists and IT architects so they, too can experience the transformative influence of connected data.
Neo4j is the graph platform leader and a relentless champion of making graph technology accessible for a larger, wider audience. This announcement builds on Neo4j’s unveiling of openCypher in October 2015, as an effort to push the whole graph industry forward by tapping into the open source community and making Cypher’s evolution an open exercise while avoiding redundant research. Today over 20 organizations and universities are participating in the openCypher implementers group. This team meets regularly to discuss how Cypher should evolve. These meetings are open to the public.
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