The integration of preexisting systems into a single, heterogeneous, distributed non-standard application system in domains like office automation or computer-integrated manufacturing are regarded as cooperating systems. They are characterized through teamwork, distribution and the handling of complex data structures (e.g. multimedia data). Object-oriented database systems, providing for complex object management, represent one approach in support of such applications. They concentrate, however, on data modeling aspects and use more or less conventional transaction concepts, based on a global execution control. Hence, they only partially fulfill application requirements as they do not adequately cope with the autonomy that is often inherent to the system's components. As a consequence, we suggest S-transactions as an appropriate means for describing the cooperation of system components in terms of transactions and beyond. In this paper we outline the modeling of conventional transactions (flat or nested as well as distributed and design transactions) in terms of STDL, the S-transaction definition language. Beyond that we point out how to specify SAGAs and similar concepts. Finally we discuss the specification of non-linear but maybe acyclic or even cyclic cooperation structuresPrepared for: Naval Ocean Systems Center and funded by the Naval Postgraduate School.http://archive.org/details/flexiblecooperat00holtO&MN, Direct FundingNAApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited
