Dealing with tentative data values in disconnected work groups

Abstract

The paper describes a problem of weakly consistent replicated data systems used in support of disconnected groups of people. The problem concerns actions and updates derived from tentative data updates that are ultimately determined to be in conflict. While some such actions and updates can be automatically resolved, many require human intervention. Furthermore, although some file and database systems support internal conflict detection and resolution, derived actions may be external to those systems, implying that human users must ensure that proper consistency is maintained between independent components of the system. The entire problem becomes exacerbated when disconnected work groups are taken into account, where tentative data values may be seen and acted upon by multiple people.