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Most graph models let you traverse edges but not query them.
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In most graph models edges can only be traversed, not queried, so filtering on edge attributes forces a full scan of thousands of relationships—taking seconds. By treating edges as indexed table rows (defining a composite “identity” on key attributes), queries become direct seeks, dropping a 3‑second “active admin” lookup to ~4 ms, regardless of edge count. This works best when edges are relatively static and you choose the most‑filtered attributes as the index prefix.