The simplest description of a Semantic Database is that it is a database of sentences. Every little nugget of data: the field of a record, the cell of a table, the branch of a tree, the relationship between objects, can all be represented by a sentence. So, if you have a database of sentences, you can hold any data.
Sentences are composed of a Subject, a Verb, and an Object (SVO), which are called "semantic triples":
The Subject is the RowID or ObjectID.
The Verb is the ColumnName or FieldName.
The Object is the FieldValue or CellValue.
Semantic Triples representing Object Tree
Semantic-Relational Databases
Datura invented an advanced version of the semantic database, called the semantic-relational database. The additions that were added were:
storage in a relational database, indexed and accessible with SQL
different data types, indexable by type (such as numbers and date-time values)
global, multi-part IDs to make it easier to share data and update sentences
option to expand sentences with metadata (such as units)
optional sentences-about-sentences, tagging sentences with metadata
Datura used this patented technology to build the Legume Data System, which forms the core of its data products.
