Transaction Datalog: A Compositional Language for Transaction Programming

. In the classical model of database transactions, large transactions cannot be built out of smaller ones. Instead, transactions are modelled as atomic and isolated units of work. This model has been widely successful in traditional database applications, in which transactions perform only a few simple operations on small amounts of simply-structured data. Unfortunately, this model is inappropriate for more complex applications in which transactions must be combined and coordinated to achieve a larger goal. Examples include CAD, office automation, collaborative work, manufacturing control, and workflow management. These applications require new transaction models, new methods of transaction management, and new transaction languages. This paper focuses on the latter issue: languages for specifying non-classical transactions, and combining them into complex processes. In particular, we develop Transaction Datalog, a deductive language that integrates queries, updates, and transaction co..