Microsoft makes digging into data easier with open-sourced Graph Engine

By Mark Coppock February 13, 2017

microsoft open sources graph engine microsoftlogo — Drserg/Shutterstock

Sometimes, it’s not the information that matters, it’s the relationships between information that is important in identifying trends, isolating causes, and making decisions. With so many different and often connected sources of information today, a way is needed to identify and work with those relationships to answer the most complicated questions.

Graph databases are exactly what is needed because they are built around the relationships between data, not just the data itself as with the more typical relational database. Microsoft made its own graph database engine, appropriately titled the Microsoft Graph Engine and part of Microsoft Cognitive Services, open source, InfoWorld reports.

While the details are something only a database analyst would love, the impact could be significant. Graph Engine competes against a number of alternatives, including the open-source project Neo4J. Microsoft’s decision to open-source the Graph Engine should significantly expand its use by organizations who need to pull together disparate sources of information and leverage their connections.

Graph Engine grew out of Microsoft’s Infinity project and is a more powerful solution than Neo4J in that it includes functionality that is only available in that system’s commercial edition that is aimed squarely at the enterprise. Now, developers can gain access to a more complete graph database simply by heading over to GitHub and downloading the source code.

So far, the Graph Engine is only for Windows but according to Software Development Times, an upcoming Linux version is rumored. What this means for the rest of us is that more people will be able to analyze today’s complex, interconnected information in more ways than ever before. That will likely result in things we all appreciate like better crime detection, but also things like a better analysis of our Facebook friends’ list, resulting in even more annoying targeted advertising.

Editors' Recommendations

Microsoft’s emoji library goes open source

Topics

Computing Writer

Mark has been a geek since MS-DOS gave way to Windows and the PalmPilot was a thing. He’s translated his love for…

Computing

The HP Victus gaming PC with RTX 3060 has a $550 discount

The HP Victus 15L gaming PC in white.

Gamers don't need to spend more than $1,000 if they want to buy a new gaming PC because there are affordable options like the HP Victus 15L gaming desktop. From its original price of $1,400, you can get it for just $850 as HP has applied a $550 discount on this machine. However, you shouldn't delay your purchase because there's no assurance that the gaming PC will still be 39% off tomorrow. If you want to make sure that you get it for less than $1,000, you're going to have to complete the transaction for it within the day.

Why you should buy the HP Victus 15L gaming desktop
You shouldn't expect the HP Victus 15L gaming desktop to match the performance of the top-of-the-line models of the best gaming PCs, but it's surprisingly powerful for its cost. Inside it are the 13th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card, with 16GB of RAM that our guide on how much RAM do you need says is the best place to start for gaming. It's enough to play today's best PC games without any issues, and it may even be capable of running the upcoming PC games of the next few years if you're willing to dial down the settings for the more demanding titles.

Computing

This 17-inch HP laptop is on sale for just $300 — but hurry!

The HP 17t-cn300 17.3-inch laptop against a white background.

If you want to buy a laptop with a relatively large screen, the good news is that you don't have to break the bank with your purchase because you can get the HP Laptop 17t for a very affordable $300. It's on sale from HP with a $200 discount on its original price of $500, but there's no telling how much time is remaining before this offer expires. We don't think it will stay available for long because laptop deals like this almost always get sold out quickly, so complete the transaction as soon as possible to make sure that you don't miss out on the savings.

Why you should buy the HP Laptop 17t
With the 17.3-inch display of the HP Laptop 17t, you'll have a lot of screen real estate to work on your projects and watch streaming shows. It's pretty affordable for a laptop with this large screen, which offers HD+ resolution for sharp details and vibrant colors. However, despite its big display, the HP Laptop 17t maintains portability because it's only 0.78 of an inch thick, which makes it easy to slide into your bag when you're on the go, and it won't be too heavy to carry around because it only weighs about 4.6 pounds.

Computing

What to do if your Intel CPU keeps crashing

Pins on Core i9-12900K.

Despite being among the best processors you can buy, some high-end Intel CPUs have faced a wave of instability over the past few months. Intel is investigating the problem, but the company and its motherboard partners have already worked toward some temporary fixes to improve stability on high-end Intel CPUs -- even if it comes at a performance cost.

Before getting into the fixes, keep in mind that they are temporary. Intel will release a statement on the instability soon, likely with more direct guidance on what affected users should do. In addition, the scope of the problem isn't clear -- if you're not experiencing issues, you shouldn't have anything to worry about.
Who's affected