RDF Patch - Recording changes to an RDF Dataset

[Andy Seaborne <an...@apache.org>]

Some developing thoughts on a patch format for RDF graphs (and datasets) 
happening.

Unfinished, work-in-progress:
   http://afs.github.io/rdf-patch/

This could serve as an HTTP PATCH format which would make managing 
graphs much easier.



Background:

An encoding into the RDF Abstract data model, then using some concrete 
RDF syntax, would reuse some tools (parsers, writers) but fails on two 
major grounds:

1/ Handling of blank nodes

Try adding to list, or deleting a list.  Whether you like blank nodes or 
not, they exist and people use them.

2/ Requires gathering together the changes to get the set of triples to 
delete and set of triples to add which isn't necessary the order changes 
were made in.

So RDF-encoded forms may provide high-level ways to talk about patches 
but in deployment terms have limitations.

The RDF Patch format is reasonably easy to implement - the additional 
work given access to the lexer from a Turtle parser is not great.  It's 
CSV-like.

	Andy