Having an information model is one thing. Querying it to extract data is another.
As an RDF Graph knowledge base the information model could be directly queried using SPARQL via the information model SPARQL end point.
However, as Health records are likely to be stored as relational, or at least SQL compatible, data bases, querying health records that are aligned with the model will require SQL.
Exposing general query languages via APIS such as SPARQL end points brings problems because of the extensive nature of those languages. It is hard to prevent highly damaging queries being run. The general approach is to put time outs on the query or balance queries.
The gap between plain language query and SQL or SPARQL is large and direct mappings between one and the other have not proved successful in the market place. It is unlikely that most users will be able to build complex queries directly in either SQL or SPARQL.
Furthermore, these languages provide result sets are provided in their native form which requires software to process and map to the client formats.
To address this problem, Query applications use various domain specific languages to bridge from user friendly screens to the lower level languages that actually retrieve or update data. These languages support the actual requirements of the applications, for example Power BI uses DAX and M.
There have been attempts at bridging some of the gaps. The Facebook language GraphQL is designed to provide results sets in the form requested, but GraphQL does not support standard query functions such as filter, without extension and the use of method parameters, which in effect is another programming language.
The information model languages includes a "bridging language"
The information model has three main categories of use case that require such a bridge:
- Query of the information model content by end users e.g. finding concept
- Query by the information model applications via the IM APIs to retrieve objects for display or update the stored objects
- Query by health staff of implemented health records , using a plain language or graphical query builder.
The approach taken by information model is to provide, as an option to raw SPARQL, a pragmatic intermediate query object model that supports all 3 categories. This model is then used by the applications themselves but is also available for use by third parties via the APIs