Query inseparability by games

We investigate conjunctive query inseparability of description logic knowledge bases (KBs) with respect to a given signature, a fundamental problem for KB versioning, module extraction, forgetting and knowledge exchange. We develop a game-theoretic technique for checking query inseparability of KBs expressed in fragments of Horn-ALCHI, and show a number of complexity results ranging from P to ExpTime and 2ExpTime. We also employ our results to resolve two major open problems for OWL 2 QL by showing that TBox query inseparability and the membership problem for universal UCQ-solutions in knowledge exchange are both ExpTime-complete for combined complexity

When are description logic knowledge bases indistinguishable?

Deciding inseparability of description logic knowledge bases (KBs) with respect to conjunctive queries is fundamental for many KB engineering and maintenance tasks including versioning, module extraction, knowledge exchange and forgetting. We study the combined and data complexity of this inseparability problem for fragments of Horn-ALCHI, including the description logics underpinning OWL 2 QL and OWL 2 EL

Foundations for Uniform Interpolation and Forgetting in Expressive Description Logics

We study uniform interpolation and forgetting in the description logic ALC. Our main results are model-theoretic characterizations of uniform inter- polants and their existence in terms of bisimula- tions, tight complexity bounds for deciding the existence of uniform interpolants, an approach to computing interpolants when they exist, and tight bounds on their size. We use a mix of model- theoretic and automata-theoretic methods that, as a by-product, also provides characterizations of and decision procedures for conservative extensions

Reasoning over Ontologies with Hidden Content: The Import-by-Query Approach

There is currently a growing interest in techniques for hiding parts of the signature of an ontology Kh that is being reused by another ontology Kv. Towards this goal, in this paper we propose the import-by-query framework, which makes the content of Kh accessible through a limited query interface. If Kv reuses the symbols from Kh in a certain restricted way, one can reason over Kv U Kh by accessing only Kv and the query interface. We map out the landscape of the import-by-query problem. In particular, we outline the limitations of our framework and prove that certain restrictions on the expressivity of Kh and the way in which Kv reuses symbols from Kh are strictly necessary to enable reasoning in our setting. We also identify cases in which reasoning is possible and we present suitable import-by-query reasoning algorithms

Games for query inseparability of description logic knowledge bases

We consider conjunctive query inseparability of description logic knowledge bases with respect to a given signature---a fundamental problem in knowledge base versioning, module extraction, forgetting and knowledge exchange. We give a uniform game-theoretic characterisation of knowledge base conjunctive query inseparability and develop worst-case optimal decision algorithms for fragments of Horn-ALCHI, including the description logics underpinning OWL 2 QL and OWL 2 EL. We also determine the data and combined complexity of deciding query inseparability. While query inseparability for all of these logics is P-complete for data complexity, the combined complexity ranges from P- to ExpTime- to 2ExpTime-completeness. We use these results to resolve two major open problems for OWL 2 QL by showing that TBox query inseparability and the membership problem for universal conjunctive query solutions in knowledge exchange are both ExpTime-complete for combined complexity. Finally, we introduce a more flexible notion of inseparability which compares answers to conjunctive queries in a given signature over a given set of individuals. In this case, checking query inseparability becomes NP-complete for data complexity, but the ExpTime- and 2ExpTime-completeness combined complexity results are preserved