---
title: "WTF is the Context Layer? EP 05 - How Do Graph Databases and the Context Layer Fit Together? | Atlan"
url: "https://atlan.com/wtf-context-layer/how-do-graph-databases-and-the-context-layer-fit-together/"
description: "Emil Eifrem and Prukalpa Sankar agree on the problem: enterprise AI fails when agents can't navigate the relationships that give data meaning. They join Austin to work toward a shared picture of what enterprise AI actually needs."
keywords: "context layer, graph database, neo4j, enterprise AI, atlan events, context layer series, emil eifrem, prukalpa sankar"
---

> Atlan is hosting Context Conference, bringing together the leaders and builders at the frontier of giving AI the context it needs to understand their business. It runs online on October 28, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM ET. Atlan co-founder Prukalpa Sankar opens and closes the day. Leaders from AstraZeneca, BNY and Verizon share why they invest in context and what they get from it. Registrants get early access to The AI Context Gap, a new study from MIT Technology Review Insights. Register: https://atlan.com/context-conference/

Episode 5 of Atlan's "WTF is the Context Layer?" series: **How do graph databases and the context layer fit together?** Wednesday, Aug 19 / 11 AM ET / 45 min / live AMA. The session has happened; the page links to the recording.

Emil Eifrem and Prukalpa Sankar agree on the problem: enterprise AI fails when agents can't navigate the relationships that give data meaning. Emil argues graph databases are the foundation, the layer that maps how entities and relationships connect. Prukalpa argues graph databases store structure, but the context layer carries meaning, governance, and lineage. They join Austin to work toward a shared picture of what enterprise AI actually needs.

Recording: [watch EP 05](https://atlan.com/wtf-context-layer/how-do-graph-databases-and-the-context-layer-fit-together-recording/). Series hub: [WTF is the Context Layer?](https://atlan.com/wtf-context-layer/)

## Questions we'll tackle

- What actually counts as a context layer?
- Is a graph database a foundation, a component, or one option among several for the context layer?
- A graph database maps how everything connects. Is that enough for AI to trust the data?
- Graph databases aren't new to enterprise. So why is the context problem still unsolved?

## Conversation leaders

- **Austin Kronz (host), Director of Data Strategy, Atlan.** Former Gartner Director who spent years advising Fortune 500 data leaders on analytics strategy. He's the person large enterprises call when they can't figure out why their AI keeps getting context wrong.
- **Emil Eifrem (guest), CEO & Co-founder, Neo4j.** Started the graph database company in 2007. He coined the term "property graph" and has spent two decades building the infrastructure that maps how enterprise data connects. He argues graph databases aren't just useful for AI; they're the foundation layer that makes relationships navigable at scale.
- **Prukalpa Sankar (guest), Co-founder, Atlan.** Co-founder of Atlan, the active metadata platform. She has been building context infrastructure since before "context layer" was a phrase anyone used. Her argument: a graph database stores structure, but structure alone isn't context; meaning, governance, and lineage are what make data trustworthy for AI agents.