This study addresses the challenge of detecting semantic column types in relational tables, a key task in many real-world applications. While language models like BERT have improved prediction accuracy, their token input constraints limit the simultaneous processing of intra-table and inter-table information. We propose a novel approach using Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) to model intra-table dependencies, allowing language models to focus on inter-table information. Our proposed method not only outperforms existing state-of-the-art algorithms but also offers novel insights into the utility and functionality of various GNN types for semantic type detection. The code is available at https://github.com/hoseinzadeehsan/GAIT
@article{arxiv.2405.00123,
title = {Graph Neural Network Approach to Semantic Type Detection in Tables},
author = {Ehsan Hoseinzade and Ke Wang},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2405.00123},
year = {2024}
}