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Talis FAQs

Here are some Frequently Asked Questions we've encountered when discussing the Platform with users and developers. If you have a question that is not answered here, or on the rest of the site, then feel free to get in touch.

Can I run the Platform on my own infrastructure?

No. The Talis Platform is being offered Software as a Service (SaaS). It is a hosted semantic web platform that allows you to store and access your, and other peoples data, over the web.

How do I configure the Platform to use my specific schema or ontology?

The Platform requires little or no configuration in order to support a specific RDF schema or ontology: the basic services have been designed to work on any valid RDF graph. However several of the services, such as the service engine, can be tailored to work better with your data, e.g. to index specific data items in your dataset. The Platform API provides full control over these configuration options.

Does the Platform support inferencing?

Not at this time. Support for rules and inferencing is very much on our roadmap, however we are currently focusing on building out a scalable and flexible platform that supports storage and manipulation of RDF data. In our experience application developers can gain a lot of benefit from using the powerful semi-structured data storage and querying features that the Platform provides.

We're currently exploring new ways to access, manipulate and analyse linked data; and inferencing is just one of those mechanisms.

What kind of data can I host in the Platform?

The Platform is designed to hold any kind of structured (i.e RDF) or unstructured (i.e. binary streams) data; although most of its features are oriented towards services over structured data.

Essentially, if it can be expressed as RDF, then it can be stored in the Platform.

Can I use the Platform to host public domain data?

Yes. In fact we have a special programme to support this called the Talis Connected Commons. Public domain data can be hosted in the Platform for free.

Can I use the Platform to host private data?

Yes. The default mode of operation is to make all data world-readable, with updates and configuration changes restricted to authorised administrators. But the access control options can be tailored to fit the needs of a specific project or client. This allows the Platform to host completely private data with only authorised users from a specific organisation being allowed to read data from the Platform.

Do you publish any figures on performance or availability?

Performance testing and system monitoring are routine aspects of our infrastructure and release procedures. We also use third-party monitoring services to independently assess our performance and availability. We can provide these figures on request, and are happy to discuss your performance and scaling criteria, use our contact formto get in touch.

How do I get access to the Platform?

If you're interested in signing up for a developer account for prototyping or research purposes, then use the developer account request form.

If you want to take advantage of the Connected Commons programme, then please use the dedicated request form.

Do you offer training or support on the Platform or other Semantic Web technologies?

Yes. Please see our support page for details.

I have a question thats not answered here, where else can I go for help?

If you're looking for more detailed technical documentation, then please visit the developer wiki which contains a number of additional resources, including the Platform API documentation. For additional developer support see the support page.

If you have any other questions then please feel free to get in touch.