# An introduction to Graph Data Management

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1801.00036 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1801.00036/

## Key facts

- Cited by 11 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 29 Dec 2017.

## Built on by (most cited first, 11 of 11)

- [Demystifying Chains, Trees, and Graphs of Thoughts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.14295/) (2024)
- [Neural Graph Databases](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.09732/) (2022)
- [HOT: Higher-Order Dynamic Graph Representation Learning with Efficient Transformers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.18526/) (2023)
- [A Survey on Knowledge Graph-based Methods for Automated Driving](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.08119/) (2022)
- [OpenGU: A Comprehensive Benchmark for Graph Unlearning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.02728/) (2025)
- [A Survey on Visual Transfer Learning using Knowledge Graphs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.11794/) (2022)
- [Demystifying Higher-Order Graph Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.12841/) (2024)
- [GraphSeek: Next-Generation Graph Analytics with LLMs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.11052/) (2026)
- [Higher-Order Graph Databases](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.19661/) (2025)
- [Odin: Multi-Signal Graph Intelligence for Autonomous Discovery in Knowledge Graphs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.03097/) (2026)
- [Experience Graphs: The Data Foundation for Self-Improving Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.29823/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

A graph database is a database where the data structures for the schema and/or instances are modeled as a (labeled)(directed) graph or generalizations of it, and where querying is expressed by graph-oriented operations and type constructors. In this article we present the basic notions of graph databases, give an historical overview of its main development, and study the main current systems that implement them.