Hello, I'm Bertrand - new to Neo4J and with a great use case to work on

[bertrand_leroy]

I have good experience in relational databases and data modelling, but I now need to translate this to GraphDBs.
I want to further my knowledge of Cypher but I especially want to be able to create great and useful data models for property graphs!
I am located in Edinburgh and I am hoping to be able to contribute to this online forum, but also to the local developer community.

[abk]

Hello @bertrand.leroy !

Glad to have you join the Neo4j community! Your relational database background will serve you well as you learn about graph database modeling. They're highly sympathetic models, optimized for different access patterns.

Two tips that my help as you adapt your thinking:

1. Neo4j has no schema. Alternatively, the schema is an emergent feature of the data, a description of what exists rather than a prescription of what is allowed.
2. Relationships are like join tables.

Cheers,
ABK

[bertrand_leroy]

Hello @abk ! Many thanks for the warm welcome!

The main thing I am struggling with just now is the data model.
For example, I have PERSONs who are employed by ORGANISATIONs .. I could just create a "IS_EMPLOYED_BY" relationship, but then again, I feel it would be "better" to have a ROLE node, and the PERSONs filling that ROLE, and then the ORGANISATIONs funding that ROLE ("IS_FUNDED_BY" .. not sure that's a good relationship name .. )

The above is not a question to you or anybody by the way, only musings

So this is fun! .. and I am looking forward to progressing with this project!

Bertrand

[vialard]

Hi Bertrand,

it is always a challenge to find the right level of details and you definitely have to define which questions you want to address. Too much detail brings overhead in data management and slows down the queries, too little details and you will not be able to find the answer. In this aspect it is not really different from relational modelisation, it is just easier to simplify or refine your model as you go.