Connect to your Aura instance using the Explore tool
Explore and visualize your data without writing Cypher
Understand the differences between Query and Explore
Quick introduction
The Explore tool is a powerful interface for visualizing and exploring your graph data. It allows you to interact with your data in a more intuitive way, without needing to write Cypher queries. You can search for nodes and relationships, visualize them, and, if you have write access, edit the graph directly.
Use Neo4j Bloom as a standalone application by connecting with your credentials and connection URL.
Explore tool overview
The Explore tool provides visual graph exploration features. Use it to navigate your data without writing Cypher queries.
Connecting
From the Aura console, either go to Instances and select the instance you want to connect to and use the Connect dropdown and select Explore, or directly to Explore and use the Connect button from there.
Before you do either, check that the data from the Import lesson has been loaded.
Explore tool interface
Explore
Once connected, start exploring your data without writing any Cypher. The UI consists of a search bar, a scene where results are visualized, and a legend panel.
To get started:
<click> in the searchbar
<select> Person
<select> Person name:value
<select> Person name(equals):value
<type> Tom Hanks
<select> ACTED_IN
<select> Movie
Running a search
Use the Run button or press Ctrl+Enter to execute the search.
Visualizing results
Results are visualized in the scene area. Interact with nodes and relationships by clicking and dragging them.
Zoom in
You may have to zoom in a bit before the details are shown.
Notice that your styling choices are kept between runs and can even be shared with other users, using the Perspectives feature.
Query and Explore tools
The Explore tool is designed for users who prefer a visual approach or are not familiar with Cypher syntax:
Features of the Explore tool
No Cypher knowledge required: Explore your data without writing queries
Visual exploration: Interact with your data visually to understand relationships and patterns
Editing capabilities: Edit nodes and relationships directly in the graph view
Perspectives: Create and share predefined views with specific search phrases and styling options
Understanding Perspectives
Perspectives enable customized, shareable views of your graph data.
A Perspective defines:
Visual styling - Colors, sizes, and icons for different node labels and relationship types
Search phrases - Pre-built queries that users select from a menu instead of writing Cypher
Property visibility - Which properties to display or hide for each node type
Category mappings - How labels map to business-friendly names
Creating a Perspective
To create a Perspective:
Open the Explore tool and connect to your instance
Click the Perspective dropdown in the top toolbar
Select Create new perspective or edit an existing one
Configure styling, search phrases, and property visibility
Save and optionally share with your team
Search phrases in Perspectives
Search phrases are parametrized Cypher queries packaged as simple menu options. For example:
"Find all movies by actor" - prompts for an actor name, runs the query
"Show recent transactions over $1000" - pre-configured for fraud analysis
"Display customer purchase history" - for e-commerce exploration
This allows business users to run complex queries without knowing Cypher. The Cypher knowledge is only needed once - when creating the search phrase.
Sharing Perspectives
Share Perspectives across your organization to ensure consistent data exploration:
Export Perspectives as JSON files
Import into other Explore instances
All team members see the same styling and have access to the same search phrases
This creates a uniform experience and reduces the learning curve for new users.
Key advantages
You can click on any node to see its relationships and connected nodes, enabling visual discovery of your graph data structure.
Further exploration is possible from an initial set of results (via contextmenu on the nodes).
Editing the graph is possible without knowing Cypher syntax (2).
Key advantages continued
Customization is possible through the use of Perspectives and Scenes. This goes beyond mere styling and can include defined parametrized queries (3). Perspectives can be shared. This allows for a uniform experience in an organization.
Whereas the Query tool is fit for maybe a few hundred nodes and relationships, Explore handles thousands.
Important considerations
Important considerations
The model has to be understood. Explore the data knowing what the database holds and how it is organized.
Security does apply. If the user’s role does not allow editing the database this step will not work. The user will be informed about that.
Defining these queries (also known as search phrases) does require knowledge of Cypher syntax. As the Perspectives can be shared, not everybody needs to have that knowledge.
More information
The Explore tool lets you visualize and interact with your graph data.
What feature in the Explore tool allows you to save and share customized views, styling, and search phrases with other users?
❏ Scenes
❏ Templates
✓ Perspectives
❏ Bookmarks
Hint
This feature goes beyond styling and can include defined parametrized queries. It enables a uniform experience across an organization.
Solution
The correct answer is Perspectives.
Perspectives allow you to create and share predefined views with specific search phrases, styling options, and parametrized queries. Perspectives can be shared across an organization, enabling a consistent experience for all users without requiring everyone to know Cypher syntax.
Summary
In this lesson, you learned how to use the Explore tool to visually navigate your graph data without writing Cypher.
Key differences from the Query tool include visual exploration, direct graph editing, and Perspectives for sharing customized views.
In the next lesson, you will create dashboards to visualize your data for stakeholders.
