Transform > Convert OWL Axioms to SHACL Constraints

This feature is available on the Transform Tab for Ontology asset collections. It can be used to translate OWL and RDF Schema axioms into corresponding SHACL constraints with similar semantics. This is particularly useful immediately after you have imported a file with OWL axioms in it, using Import > Import RDF File.

Note

SHACL shapes are critical for many features in TopBraid, including which properties show up on the Form Panel and the filters of the Search Panel.

Most of the steps performed here are quite straight-forward. For example, owl:minCardinality restrictions are turned into sh:minCount constraints. The detailed rules can be found in the file TopBraid/SHACL/owl2shacl in the workspace. However, some of the complex OWL axioms may require further manual translation.

Hint

Like with most large-scale transformations, you may want to run this feature through a workflow where you can properly review the changes before committing them to production.

See Also

• Export > Export Ontology as OWL File

Further Reading on SHACL

• Form Generation using SHACL and DASH (External Link)

• SHACL Advanced Features Specification (External Link)

• SHACL W3C Specification (External Link)

Further Reading on Ontologies

• Working with Ontologies

Further Reading on TopBraid

• Introduction to EDG