In this research area, concept and techniques are developed for making a database system more suitable for cooperative usage than today's architectures allow for. Major points of interest are processing concepts other than ACID transactions, and data models capable of representing the subject of data-oriented cooperation. The novel concept of database conversations gracefully complements ACID transactions, but fosters long-running cooperative modifications of data as well. Using database conversations, behavior such as negotiations can be simulated.
Cooperative processes aim at the removal of uncertainty.
This report describes the first ideas of database conversations. Cooperative Problem Solving using Database Conversations Here, database conversations are elaborated in more detail. Furthermore, a data manipulation language embedding conversations is described. It covers three different aspects of uncertainty at the same time.