¶ Ontology & Type Definitions
The Ontology & Type Definitions capability governs how knowledge is structured and validated within the Fuse Knowledge Graph using standardized node and link types.
¶ Overview
An ontology defines the types of knowledge entities (e.g., documents, people, policies) and the relationships between them (e.g., authored_by, references, owned_by).
It ensures consistency, interoperability, and explainability across knowledge sources, extraction pipelines, AI prompts, and workflow logic.
¶ Why Ontology Matters
- Prevents invalid or ambiguous relationships
- Enables semantic alignment across Resources and KnowledgeBases
- Supports graph traversal, filtering, and classification
- Helps with validation, inference, and policy enforcement
- Standardizes how external data is mapped into Fuse
¶ Core Components
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
NodeType |
Defines a category of knowledge (e.g., Document, Person, Concept) |
LinkType |
Defines valid relationships between nodes (e.g., references, belongs_to) |
SchemaSet |
A collection of NodeTypes and LinkTypes for a given domain or scope |
¶ Ontology Scoping
Ontologies may be:
- Global: Platform-wide definitions shared across domains
- Domain-Specific: Tailored for specific areas (e.g., tax law, IT, healthcare)
- KnowledgeBase-Scoped: Customized for a single curated knowledge set
Scopes allow reuse while preserving contextual relevance.
¶ Key Capabilities
| Capability | Description |
|---|---|
 Typed Nodes & Links |
Ensure graph entities carry known meaning and behavior |
 Extensible Schemas |
Add new types or link rules as domains evolve |
 Validation & Enforcement |
Enforce allowable connections and detect conflicts |
 Mapping & Importing |
Map external data to Fuse types for consistency |
 Query & Analytics |
Filter or report based on ontology-aligned structure |
¶ Ontology in Action
- A
PolicyDocumentnode may only be linked to aDepartmentnode viaowned_by - A
Projectnode mayreferenceanotherProjectorInitiative, but not aFile - A
Termnode can only appear in adefined_inrelationship with aGlossaryPage
These rules guide graph construction, extraction pipelines, and reasoning workflows.
¶ Maintenance & Versioning
- Ontologies are versioned and audit-logged
- Changes propagate to downstream pipelines and graph renderers
- Editors can propose, approve, or deprecate types and link rules
- Validation tools flag inconsistencies or legacy usage
¶ Future Enhancements
- Visual ontology editors and rule builders
- Role-based schema authoring workflows
- Graph traversal hints and reasoning policies embedded in types
- Ontology federation across multi-tenant deployments
Next: Prompt Context Builder — Learn how Fuse composes and injects relevant, access-controlled knowledge into AI prompts using embeddings, graph traversal, and scoped logic.