Thank you. That helps.
ChatGPT is telling me to remove my head from the old way of thinking and plant it in the new.
Here’s the conversation:
Describe the upcoming Autonomi transaction data type.
Autonomi is developing a new data type known as “Transactions,” designed to enhance the existing Conflict-free Replicated Data Types (CRDTs) like Registers and Multimaps. This new type will offer a chained structure, effectively replacing CRDT Registers. The primary objective is to provide a more efficient and scalable solution for managing mutable data within the network. The introduction of Transactions is part of Autonomi’s ongoing efforts to improve data storage and retrieval mechanisms.
Using this new data type, design the data storage component of an application that meets these criteria:
- Supports or emulates primary keys in a multi-user scenario
- Supports or emulates foreign key constraints
- Supports multi-user access, e.g. Bob in Italy applies a payment at the same moment as Alice in Brazil, both to the same invoice; each should receive each other’s updates immediately and without any data collisions
To meet the specified criteria using the upcoming “autonomi transaction” data type, we need to design a data storage system that incorporates multi-user access with real-time synchronization, primary key and foreign key emulation, and conflict-free updates in a distributed environment.
Data Storage Component Design Using Autonomi Transactions
Key Concepts
-
Primary Keys:
- Each entity or record will have a unique identifier, ensuring that each item in the database can be uniquely referenced. In Autonomi’s Transaction system, this can be achieved through a unique “Transaction ID” or a similar mechanism using CRDTs or other conflict-free replicated data types (CvRDTs).
-
Foreign Keys:
- Foreign keys, while not natively supported in many distributed databases, can be emulated by ensuring that the transaction IDs are replicated across the system for consistency. These relationships will ensure referential integrity while allowing updates to be processed asynchronously.
-
Multi-User Access & Conflict Resolution:
- Autonomi’s transaction system is designed to handle real-time updates and conflict resolution, ensuring that updates made by Bob in Italy and Alice in Brazil (or any other users across different locations) are processed without collision. This will be achieved by utilizing Autonomi’s conflict-free replicated data types (CRDTs) and Transactions to ensure that updates to shared data are handled safely.
Design Overview
1. Data Storage Architecture
The storage system will be divided into entities that represent database tables. Each entity will have a corresponding Transaction data type that handles updates in a conflict-free manner. For example, entities such as Invoices, Payments, and Users will be designed as separate entities with unique identifiers (primary keys) and interlinked using emulated foreign keys.
- Entities:
Invoice: Represents an invoice record, including fields such as InvoiceID (primary key), Amount, DueDate, Status.Payment: Represents a payment record, including PaymentID (primary key), AmountPaid, PaymentDate, InvoiceID (foreign key referring to InvoiceID).User: Represents a user, including UserID (primary key), Name, Country.
Each of these entities is stored as a separate Autonomi “transaction” type with the following CRDT design:
- CRDTs for conflict-free replication: Transactions within each entity are maintained as conflict-free using Autonomi’s CRDTs to avoid conflicts and support real-time updates.
2. Primary Key Emulation
- Every record (Invoice, Payment, etc.) will have a globally unique
Transaction ID.
- For example, a record for
Invoice will have the following structure:
{
"TransactionID": "unique-invoice-id",
"InvoiceID": "12345",
"Amount": 200,
"DueDate": "2025-06-01",
"Status": "Pending"
}
The Transaction ID will be used as the primary key to ensure that updates to each record are applied without conflict across different users and locations.
- When Bob updates an invoice in Italy, his transaction will be given a unique ID, and the system will replicate this transaction to Alice in Brazil in real time.
3. Foreign Key Emulation
Foreign key constraints are emulated by maintaining transactional consistency across related data types. For example, a Payment will store a reference to an Invoice by including the InvoiceID as part of the Payment record. Updates to the Invoice or Payment entities will ensure that foreign key constraints are respected without explicitly enforcing the constraint at the database level.
{
"TransactionID": "unique-payment-id",
"PaymentID": "67890",
"AmountPaid": 150,
"PaymentDate": "2025-03-31",
"InvoiceID": "12345" // Foreign Key to Invoice
}
4. Multi-User Access & Conflict-Free Updates
Autonomi’s transaction data type supports conflict-free data types. This is crucial for multi-user environments, as it allows updates made by different users, such as Bob and Alice, to be applied without data conflicts.
- Versioning: Each transaction (Bob’s or Alice’s updates) is tagged with a version number or timestamp. This ensures that no updates are lost and that each user’s updates are incorporated into the system. In the case of concurrent updates (e.g., Bob and Alice updating the same invoice), Autonomi ensures that all changes are merged without loss.
- Transaction Merging: When Bob updates the invoice and Alice simultaneously applies a payment, their changes are merged using the CRDTs’ conflict resolution algorithm. This means both updates are reflected immediately across all users without needing locking or complex conflict resolution mechanisms.
- Real-Time Synchronization: Autonomi’s system supports real-time replication, ensuring that Bob’s and Alice’s updates are propagated to each other’s clients without delays. Using an event-based architecture, each transaction update triggers an immediate push to the relevant subscribers (in this case, Bob and Alice).
5. Conflict-Free Example Scenario
Here’s a simplified scenario where Bob and Alice work on the same invoice:
- Bob’s Action:
- Bob in Italy updates the
Amount on Invoice 12345 to 250. His transaction is given a unique TransactionID and committed.
- Bob’s
Payment action is also applied for Invoice 12345.
- Alice’s Action:
- Simultaneously, Alice in Brazil updates the
AmountPaid for Invoice 12345 and applies a payment of 100.
- Her
TransactionID is also generated and committed.
- Conflict Resolution:
- Both Bob’s and Alice’s transactions are replicated to each other’s systems.
- The system merges both updates seamlessly, preserving both the change in the
Invoice (Amount changed) and the Payment (AmountPaid).
- The system uses conflict-free merging algorithms to ensure that both updates are applied in the final state.
- End Result:
- Both Bob and Alice now see the updated invoice with the new amount and the payment reflecting the combined actions. No data is lost, and both users are synchronized in real time.
Conclusion
This data storage component design utilizing the Autonomi transaction data type ensures:
- Primary Keys: Each entity has a unique
TransactionID that acts as the primary key.
- Foreign Keys: Emulated using references (e.g.,
InvoiceID in Payment).
- Multi-User Access & Conflict-Free Updates: Bob and Alice’s concurrent updates are handled in real time using CRDTs and Autonomi’s conflict-free transaction system.
This architecture provides robust support for multi-user scenarios with real-time synchronization, ensuring a smooth, conflict-free experience.
I guess that about covers it.
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