SPARQL Protocol and RDF Query Language ( WP)

SPARQL (pronounced "sparkle" ) is an RDF query language; its name is a recursive acronym that stands for SPARQL Protocol and RDF Query Language. It is undergoing standardization by the RDF Data Access Working Group (DAWG) of the World Wide Web Consortium. On the track towards status of W3 C recommendation, it was released as a Candidate Recommendation in April 2006, but returned to Working Draft status in October 2006, due to two open issues.