M.I.M.I.R - Multi-agent Intelligent Memory & Insight Repository

# Graph Traversal Guide **Path queries and pattern matching in NornicDB** --- ## Overview NornicDB supports powerful graph traversal capabilities through Cypher queries. This guide covers path finding, pattern matching, and relationship navigation. --- ## Basic Pattern Matching ### Find Connected Nodes ```cypher -- Find all nodes connected to a specific node MATCH (start:Person {name: 'Alice'})-[r]->(connected) RETURN connected, type(r) AS relationship -- Find nodes connected by a specific relationship type MATCH (p:Person)-[:KNOWS]->(friend:Person) RETURN p.name, friend.name ``` ### Variable-Length Paths ```cypher -- Find nodes within 1-3 hops MATCH (start:Person {name: 'Alice'})-[*1..3]->(end) RETURN DISTINCT end -- Find all paths of any length (use with caution) MATCH path = (a:Person)-[*]->(b:Person) WHERE a.name = 'Alice' AND b.name = 'Bob' RETURN path ``` --- ## Path Finding ### Shortest Path ```cypher -- Find the shortest path between two nodes MATCH path = shortestPath( (a:Person {name: 'Alice'})-[*]-(b:Person {name: 'Bob'}) ) RETURN path, length(path) AS hops ``` ### All Shortest Paths ```cypher -- Find all equally short paths MATCH path = allShortestPaths( (a:Person {name: 'Alice'})-[*]-(b:Person {name: 'Bob'}) ) RETURN path ``` --- ## Filtering Paths ### Filter by Relationship Type ```cypher -- Only traverse specific relationship types MATCH path = (a:Person)-[:KNOWS|:WORKS_WITH*1..5]->(b:Person) WHERE a.name = 'Alice' RETURN path ``` ### Filter by Node Properties ```cypher -- Only include nodes meeting criteria MATCH path = (a:Person)-[*1..3]->(b:Person) WHERE a.name = 'Alice' AND ALL(node IN nodes(path) WHERE node.active = true) RETURN path ``` --- ## Path Functions | Function | Description | Example | |----------|-------------|---------| | `nodes(path)` | Get all nodes in path | `RETURN nodes(path)` | | `relationships(path)` | Get all relationships | `RETURN relationships(path)` | | `length(path)` | Number of relationships | `RETURN length(path)` | --- ## Common Patterns ### Friend of Friend ```cypher MATCH (me:Person {name: 'Alice'})-[:KNOWS]->(friend)-[:KNOWS]->(foaf) WHERE foaf <> me AND NOT (me)-[:KNOWS]->(foaf) RETURN DISTINCT foaf.name AS suggestion ``` ### Hierarchical Queries ```cypher -- Find all reports (direct and indirect) MATCH path = (manager:Employee {name: 'CEO'})-[:MANAGES*]->(report) RETURN report.name, length(path) AS level ORDER BY level ``` ### Circular References ```cypher -- Find cycles in the graph MATCH path = (n)-[*2..]->(n) RETURN path LIMIT 10 ``` --- ## Performance Tips 1. **Limit path length** - Always specify max depth (`-[*1..5]->` not `-[*]->`) 2. **Use relationship types** - Filter by type to reduce search space 3. **Start from selective nodes** - Begin traversal from nodes with fewer connections 4. **Use LIMIT** - Limit results for exploratory queries --- ## Related Documentation - **[Cypher Queries](cypher-queries.md)** - Complete Cypher guide - **[Vector Search](vector-search.md)** - Semantic search - **[Complete Examples](complete-examples.md)** - Full working examples --- **Need more examples?** → **[Complete Examples](complete-examples.md)**