Overview
ISO/IEC 39075:2024 - Information technology - Database languages - GQL defines a standardized data management language for property graphs. The standard specifies the syntax and semantics for data structures and core operations on property graphs, including creating, accessing, querying, maintaining, and controlling graphs and collections of graphs. ISO/IEC 39075:2024 is intended to enable portability of graph data definitions and manipulation across different GQL implementations and to operate alongside application programming languages, end‑user query tools, and database administration and optimization tooling.
Key topics and technical scope
ISO/IEC 39075:2024 covers comprehensive language and runtime concepts relevant to property-graph databases. Major topics include:
- Graph data model: descriptors for graphs, nodes, edges, properties, and key/label sets.
- Syntax and semantics: formal language rules for defining and manipulating graph structures and values.
- Graph pattern matching: path patterns, match modes, path search and pattern variables for expressive graph queries.
- Data types and values: predefined and constructed value types, temporal types, numeric, string and reference types, and nullability rules.
- Schema and catalog: GQL catalog, schemas, directories and object references for organizing graph definitions.
- Session and transaction management: session commands, transaction demarcation, isolation and control commands (start, commit, rollback).
- Procedures and commands: procedure specification, execution contexts, statements, and diagnostics for programmable graph operations.
- Execution and security: execution contexts, authorization identifiers, principals and basic security model.
- Portability and interoperability: language constructs intended to support consistent behavior across different GQL implementations.
Practical applications and users
ISO/IEC 39075:2024 is valuable for:
- Database vendors and engine implementers building GQL-compliant property-graph databases or adding graph capabilities to existing systems.
- Enterprise architects and data modelers designing graph schemas and standardized data definitions for interoperability.
- Application developers and data scientists who query and manipulate graph data via standardized GQL syntax and APIs.
- Tool vendors creating IDEs, query UIs, migration utilities, and performance tools that target multiple GQL implementations.
- Standards bodies and researchers benchmarking and comparing graph language features and portability.
Adopting ISO/IEC 39075 helps organizations achieve predictable graph-query behavior, reduce vendor lock‑in, and simplify integration of graph databases into broader data ecosystems.
Related standards
- Related ISO/IEC database language families (for example, ISO SQL standards) and other graph query language initiatives inform GQL design and interoperability considerations. For procurement or implementation, consult the official ISO catalog for the full published standard.