Exploring Exploratory Querying

We need to rethink how users understand and develop queries. The growing diversity of users, the increasing complexity of query languages and data architectures - now aided by tools like LLMs - are challenging the traditional view of a highly-trained user writing queries in a controlled environment. Query formulation has become a more exploratory endeavor that needs to be researched and supported: an iterative cycle of designing, debugging, and maintaining queries. To ground this vision, we present an empirical analysis of query logs from the Wikidata Query Service, revealing common patterns of iterative query modification. Based on these findings, we propose a concrete research program with hypotheses, user studies, and research questions for query languages, engines, and interfaces. Our contributions include a curated query session dataset, a classification of exploratory-query patterns, and a roadmap for building system-level support for exploratory querying.

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Publication Details

Journal
Proceedings of the VLDB Endowment
Published
2025-09-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.14778/3773731.3773746
Primary Topic
Semantic Web and Ontologies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Exploring Exploratory Querying

George Konstantinidis, Marcelo Arenas, Wim Martens, Olaf Hartig et al.
Proceedings of the VLDB Endowment
Semantic Web and Ontologies
article

Exploring Exploratory Querying

George Konstantinidis, Marcelo Arenas, Wim Martens, Olaf Hartig, Hsiang‐Yun Wu, Laura Koesten, Stefanie Scherzinger, Leonid Libkin, Enrico Franconi, Janik Hammerer, Yuya Sasaki, Katherine Thornton, Katja Hose
article en

Abstract

We need to rethink how users understand and develop queries. The growing diversity of users, the increasing complexity of query languages and data architectures - now aided by tools like LLMs - are challenging the traditional view of a highly-trained user writing queries in a controlled environment. Query formulation has become a more exploratory endeavor that needs to be researched and supported: an iterative cycle of designing, debugging, and maintaining queries. To ground this vision, we present an empirical analysis of query logs from the Wikidata Query Service, revealing common patterns of iterative query modification. Based on these findings, we propose a concrete research program with hypotheses, user studies, and research questions for query languages, engines, and interfaces. Our contributions include a curated query session dataset, a classification of exploratory-query patterns, and a roadmap for building system-level support for exploratory querying.

Proceedings of the VLDB EndowmentVol. 18(13)
Linköping University (SE), University of Vienna (AT), TU Wien (AT), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (CL), Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (IT), University of Passau (DE), University of Applied Sciences St Pölten (AT), Yale University (US), Association of Research Libraries (US), University of Southampton (GB), University of Bayreuth (DE), University of Edinburgh (GB)
Quality Education
Openalex Percentile: Top 17%
Semantic Web and Ontologies
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