Graph analysis is an essential tool to understand natural and man-made networks, such as social networks, food webs, transportation infrastructures, etc. Although graph analysis has fomented the development of algorithms, visual tools, and distributed processing frameworks, there is still little support for analysis at the query language level. Current graph query languages are mostly concerned with flexible matching of subgraphs, while graph processing frameworks are mostly concerned with fast parallel execution of instructions. Our goal is to provide analysis capabilities at the language level, allowing more interactive and explorative query-based analysis. In this paper, we present our ongoing efforts towards a relational algebra extension that offers an operator for graph-based data aggregation. The beta (β) operator is composed of four suboperators, which are used to control the path-based aggregations. The β-algebra allows seamless composition of queries that mix relational and graph-based aspects. Here we introduce our current algebra and provide examples of its use. We also show how we are using the analysis strategy in query scenarios. Since the algebra-based query scenario allows for execution plan rewritings, we also discuss our first efforts on equivalence rules for query optimization.