.. _Transform_ConvertOWLAxiomsToSHACLConstraints:

Transform > Convert OWL Axioms to SHACL Constraints
---------------------------------------------------

This feature is available on the :ref:`TransformTab` for Ontology asset collections.
It can be used to translate OWL and RDF Schema axioms into corresponding SHACL constraints
with similar semantics.
This is particularly useful immediately after you have imported a file with OWL axioms in it,
using :ref:`Import_ImportRDFFile`.

.. note::
   SHACL shapes are critical for many features in TopBraid, including which properties show
   up on the :ref:`FormPanel` and the filters of the :ref:`SearchPanel`.

Most of the steps performed here are quite straight-forward.
For example, ``owl:minCardinality`` restrictions are turned into ``sh:minCount`` constraints.
The detailed rules can be found in the file ``TopBraid/SHACL/owl2shacl`` in the workspace.
However, some of the complex OWL axioms may require further manual translation.

.. hint::
   Like with most large-scale transformations, you may want to run this feature through
   a *workflow* where you can properly review the changes before committing them to production.


**See Also**

* :ref:`Export_ExportOntologyAsOWLFile`

**Further Reading on SHACL**

* `Form Generation using SHACL and DASH (External Link) <https://datashapes.org/forms.html>`_
* `SHACL Advanced Features Specification (External Link) <https://w3c.github.io/shacl/shacl-af/>`_
* `SHACL W3C Specification (External Link) <https://www.w3.org/TR/shacl/>`_

**Further Reading on Ontologies**

* :ref:`working_with_ontologies_target`

**Further Reading on TopBraid**

* :ref:`introduction`