Introduction to Neo4j

Course Overview

This course introduces you to what a graph database is and how Neo4j is used in many enterprises to implement key use cases. You will learn about the differences between a relational data model and a graph property model. Then, you will learn about the components of the Neo4j Graph Platform and how to set up your development environment for learning Cypher, the query language used for a Neo4j database (a graph). The main focus of this course is to learn Cypher. You will learn through 9 hands-on exercises how to write Cypher queries to retrieve data from the Neo4j database. Finally, you will learn how to write Cypher statements to create, update, and delete data in the Neo4j database.

Course objectives

At the completion of this course, you should be able to:

  • Describe what a graph database is and the graph property model.
  • Describe the features of Neo4j and the components of the Neo4j Graph Platform.
  • Set up your development environment with Neo4j Desktop or a Neo4j Sandbox.
  • Write basic Cypher queries to retrieve nodes and relationships from the Neo4j database.
  • Write advanced Cypher queries where you control the query processing and how results are returned.
  • Write Cypher statements to create, update, and delete nodes, relationships and properties in the Neo4j database.

Course Modules

  1. Introduction to Graph Theory
  2. Graph Databases and Index-Free Adjacency
  3. Introduction to Neo4j
  4. Setting Up Your Development Environment
  5. Introduction to Cypher
  6. Getting More Out of Queries
  7. Creating Nodes and Relationships

Instructor

Patrick Baumgartner

Patrick Baumgartner

Patrick Baumgartner works as a passionate software craftsman at 42talents and builds software with Java/JEE, Spring Framework, OSGi, NoSQL databases and other open source technologies. Since he got in touch with Neo4j a few years ago, he sees the whole world as one big connected graph and loves to talk about it.

Patrick is a host of the Neo4j Zürich and the Software Craftsmanship Zürich Meetup group and is engaged in the agile community in Switzerland.

Twitter: @patbaumgartner, @42talents