SEMANTICS 2026 Tutorial — (En-)Coding The Knowledge Graph Stack: RDF, RDFS,SPARQL, SHACL, (YARR)RML

Overview

Knowledge Graphs help connect heterogeneous data sources into a shared, machine-interpretable layer. This hands-on tutorial introduces the core technologies behind RDF-based knowledge graphs. Throughout the tutorial, participants will learn how to model data with RDF, reuse existing vocabularies, query graphs using SPARQL, ingest data with YARRRML, and validate graph quality using SHACL.

No prior Semantic Web experience is required. The tutorial focuses on practical exercises and gives participants a solid foundation for building interoperable knowledge graphs.

Tutorial Schedule

Time Topic Contents
11:00-11:45 RDF Fundamentals Triples, graph model, RDF syntax, URIs, literals, RDF Schema, reusing existing vocabularies
11:45-12:30 SPARQL Querying RDF, graph patterns, filters, aggregation, hands-on querying exercises
12:30-13:30 Lunch break
13:30-14:15 (YARR)RML Declarative data mappings, ingestion pipelines, hands-on mapping exercises
14:15-15:00 SHACL Data validation, node and property shapes, integrating validation into RDF workflows

Prerequisities

Participants should bring:

  • A laptop (Windows, macOS, or Linux)
  • A modern web browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari)

No previous experience with RDF, SPARQL, or ontologies is required.

Presenters

Achim Reiz — neonto GmbH