A Formal Model for Decentralized Query Processing in P2P Databases with a Ledger-Based Semantic Registry

A Formal Model for Decentralized Query Processing in P2P Databases with a Ledger-Based Semantic Registry | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article A Formal Model for Decentralized Query Processing in P2P Databases with a Ledger-Based Semantic Registry Divesh Sarkar, Manish Sarkar This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7468941/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Integrating data across autonomous, peer-to-peer (P2P) systems presents a fundamental trilemma involving autonomy, heterogeneity, and trust. Existing frameworks often sacrifice one of these aspects, relying on centralized components that create single points of failure and preclude verifiable query processing. This paper resolves this trilemma by introducing a novel theoretical framework where a distributed ledger acts as a decentralized arbiter of semantic truth. We formally model the ledger as an immutable Semantic Registry for managing peer schemas and their mappings. Based on this, we develop a query processing protocol that leverages the registry for trustworthy discovery and consistent query rewriting. The primary contribution is the rigorous formalization of this model, including mathematical proofs of soundness and completeness for our protocol. By formally guaranteeing the correctness of queries in a trustless P2P setting, this research provides the theoretical underpinnings for building robust and verifiable data-sharing ecosystems. Our work paves the way for secure collaboration across organizational boundaries without centralized intermediaries. Distributed Databases Semantic Data Integration Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Systems Decentralized Trust Ontology Query Processing Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7468941","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":518163998,"identity":"7685da2c-ddeb-4d13-87ff-4e7ef87cf762","order_by":0,"name":"Divesh Sarkar","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABAklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDCCw0DM2AAkeBgYmP8Y2IC4jQeI1sLAU5EG5uLXcgBFy5nDcEGcgO84j+HDnzvq5M17Dj/7INl23m5t+2GgLTU20bi0SB7mMTbmPXPYcM7ZNuMZhm23k7edSQRqOZaW24BDi8FhtjRpxrYDjDP4GYwZEoFazA4AtTA2HManJf3nz7Y6+xn87J8ZDradSzY7/5CQFuZjDLxtzIkzeHuMGRvOHLAzu0HAFsnDzIeledsOJ8/gOVPMzFCRnGB2A2hLAh6/8J0/2PgR6DDbGTzpm5kZDOzszc6nP3zwocYGpxYMkAhWmUCschCwJ0XxKBgFo2AUjAwAADuWZMNrsyqlAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Sikkim Professional University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Divesh","middleName":"","lastName":"Sarkar","suffix":""},{"id":518164000,"identity":"fccab2a3-97d9-4ce2-a33b-69d4bd7ce160","order_by":1,"name":"Manish Sarkar","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Manish","middleName":"","lastName":"Sarkar","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-08-27 07:38:21","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7468941/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7468941/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":92032742,"identity":"9e12f6b5-3c28-42d7-993e-9f97a42960d0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-23 22:15:45","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":726985,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"snarticle.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7468941/v1/c378a92fb9369c2c67f8ae9f.pdf"},{"id":92032741,"identity":"473feb2c-fb15-4d60-ba68-43d52a2ed8fa","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-23 22:15:45","extension":"json","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":3942,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ad8e0458605e4c419c0e42c7ded30e30.json","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7468941/v1/c34688e3601102a01de88878.json"},{"id":96250782,"identity":"72123727-dd8c-479e-a169-25e225c092aa","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-19 07:38:59","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":579039,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"snarticle.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7468941/v1_covered_605028f7-9343-4568-bcee-56eb194dc75a.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"A Formal Model for Decentralized Query Processing in P2P Databases with a Ledger-Based Semantic Registry","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Distributed Databases, Semantic Data Integration, Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Systems, Decentralized Trust, Ontology, Query Processing","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7468941/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7468941/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Integrating data across autonomous, peer-to-peer (P2P) systems presents a fundamental trilemma involving autonomy, heterogeneity, and trust. 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