System for accessing a relational database using semantic queries

1. A system comprised of one or more computers for executing a digitally encoded database query received by the system, said query being expressed in a semantic query language, on the contents of a pre-existing relational database with a corresponding relational database schema, said system comprising:

a translating module comprised of logic configured to automatically translate the received database query into a second digitally encoded database query expressed in a relational query language by using a mapping data structure representing a mapping from the relational database schema to a synthetic domain model that is a putative ontology automatically created from the relational database schema, in order to create a translated relational query; and

an execution module comprised of logic configured to execute the translated relational query on the relational database.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising an optimizing module comprised of logic configured to optimize the translated query prior to its execution by the execution module.

3. The system of claim 2 where the optimizing module is further configured to detect an at least one unsatisfiable condition.

4. The system of claim 2 where the optimizing module is further configured to execute a self-join elimination.

5. The system of claim 2 where the optimizing module is further configured to execute a self outer join elimination.

6. The system of claim 1 where the translating module is further configured to use a synthetic domain model expressed in OWL (Web Ontology Language).

7. The system of claim 1 where the translating module is further configured to use a synthetic domain model expressed in RDFS (Resource Description Framework Schema).

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a generating module adapted to create from the mapping an RDF (Resource Description Framework) logical representation of the relational database data that conforms to the synthetic domain model.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising a generating module adapted to create an RDF (Resource Description Framework) logical representation using a view definition associated with the relational database.

10. The system of claim 9 where the view definition is a SQL view definition.

11. The system of claim 9 where the view definition is logical.

12. The system of claim 9 where the view definition is materialized.

13. The system of claim 10 where the SQL view definition is comprised of a body nested in the translated query.

14. The system of claim 1 where the translating module is further configured to output a translated query where the arguments of the translated query are at least one columns of a RDF (Resource Description Framework) logical representation of the relational database data contents.

15. The system of claim 1 where the translating module is further configured to convert a unique resource identifier into a string comprised of a combination of a table name identifying a data table and a column label associated with the table identified by the table name.

16. The system of claim 1 where the translating module is further configured to materialize a plurality of database contents comprising the pre-existing relational database as an RDF (Resource Description Framework) representation.

17. The system of claim 1 where the translating module is further configured to determine component substitutions of an at least one component comprising the received query.

18. The system of claim 1 further comprising a second translating module comprised of logic configured to translate the result of the translated relational query into a query result that conforms to the semantic query language.