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Setup Graph Database

Do I need to install and access a graph database?

Yes, if you want to reproduce or update the data, or sample custom communities from the graph.

No, if you only want to use the communities, or the sample models we provide.

Install Neo4j​

You can run the Neo4j Graph Database in several ways, such as a self-hosted production cluster or a fully managed, cloud-based solution.

For development and accessibility, all our solutions are designed to run on a standalone Neo4j installation, although a cloud-based deployment can be more performant.

  • Please follow this documentation to install a Neo4j database.

    Make sure you install a compatible Neo4j version

    For performance reasons, the database dumps we share are in the Neo4j block format.

    The block format is supported across various Neo4j versions, such as Enterprise Edition or Neo4j Desktop.

    If you install a version that does not support the block format, you will get the following error when restoring the database dump:

    Failed to load database 'neo4j': Block format detected for database neo4j but unavailable in this edition.

  • Ensure you can connect to the installed Neo4j database.

After installation, you have two paths to load the graph:

Path 1: Import from TSV Files​

Choose this path if you have run the ETL pipeline and want to import the graph from the TSV files you generated. Follow this documentation.

Path 2: Restore from Database Dump​

Choose this path if you want to use the database dump we provided (this is the faster option). Follow this documentation.