@misc{LadleifWeske2021,
  author    = {Ladleif, Jan and Weske, Mathias},
  title     = {Which Event Happened First? Deferred Choice on Blockchain Using Oracles},
  series = {Zweitver{\"o}ffentlichungen der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam : Reihe der Digital Engineering Fakult{\"a}t},
  volume    = {4},
  journal   = {Zweitver{\"o}ffentlichungen der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam : Reihe der Digital Engineering Fakult{\"a}t},
  publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam},
  address   = {Potsdam},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-55068},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-550681},
  pages     = {1 -- 16},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {First come, first served: Critical choices between alternative actions are often made based on events external to an organization, and reacting promptly to their occurrence can be a major advantage over the competition. In Business Process Management (BPM), such deferred choices can be expressed in process models, and they are an important aspect of process engines. Blockchain-based process execution approaches are no exception to this, but are severely limited by the inherent properties of the platform: The isolated environment prevents direct access to external entities and data, and the non-continual runtime based entirely on atomic transactions impedes the monitoring and detection of events. In this paper we provide an in-depth examination of the semantics of deferred choice, and transfer them to environments such as the blockchain. We introduce and compare several oracle architectures able to satisfy certain requirements, and show that they can be implemented using state-of-the-art blockchain technology.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Ladleif2021,
  author    = {Ladleif, Jan},
  title     = {Enforceability aspects of smart contracts on blockchain networks},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-51908},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-519088},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {xix, 152},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Smart contracts promise to reform the legal domain by automating clerical and procedural work, and minimizing the risk of fraud and manipulation. Their core idea is to draft contract documents in a way which allows machines to process them, to grasp the operational and non-operational parts of the underlying legal agreements, and to use tamper-proof code execution alongside established judicial systems to enforce their terms. The implementation of smart contracts has been largely limited by the lack of an adequate technological foundation which does not place an undue amount of trust in any contract party or external entity. Only recently did the emergence of Decentralized Applications (DApps) change this: Stored and executed via transactions on novel distributed ledger and blockchain networks, powered by complex integrity and consensus protocols, DApps grant secure computation and immutable data storage while at the same time eliminating virtually all assumptions of trust. However, research on how to effectively capture, deploy, and most of all enforce smart contracts with DApps in mind is still in its infancy. Starting from the initial expression of a smart contract's intent and logic, to the operation of concrete instances in practical environments, to the limits of automatic enforcement---many challenges remain to be solved before a widespread use and acceptance of smart contracts can be achieved. This thesis proposes a model-driven smart contract management approach to tackle some of these issues. A metamodel and semantics of smart contracts are presented, containing concepts such as legal relations, autonomous and non-autonomous actions, and their interplay. Guided by the metamodel, the notion and a system architecture of a Smart Contract Management System (SCMS) is introduced, which facilitates smart contracts in all phases of their lifecycle. Relying on DApps in heterogeneous multi-chain environments, the SCMS approach is evaluated by a proof-of-concept implementation showing both its feasibility and its limitations. Further, two specific enforceability issues are explored in detail: The performance of fully autonomous tamper-proof behavior with external off-chain dependencies and the evaluation of temporal constraints within DApps, both of which are essential for smart contracts but challenging to support in the restricted transaction-driven and closed environment of blockchain networks. Various strategies of implementing or emulating these capabilities, which are ultimately applicable to all kinds of DApp projects independent of smart contracts, are presented and evaluated.},
  language  = {en}
}
@book{MeinelGayvoronskayaSchnjakin2018,
  author    = {Meinel, Christoph and Gayvoronskaya, Tatiana and Schnjakin, Maxim},
  title     = {Blockchain},
  number    = {124},
  publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam},
  address   = {Potsdam},
  isbn      = {978-3-86956-441-8},
  issn      = {1613-5652},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-414525},
  publisher      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {102},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {The term blockchain has recently become a buzzword, but only few know what exactly lies behind this approach. According to a survey, issued in the first quarter of 2017, the term is only known by 35 percent of German medium-sized enterprise representatives. However, the blockchain technology is very interesting for the mass media because of its rapid development and global capturing of different markets. For example, many see blockchain technology either as an all-purpose weapon— which only a few have access to—or as a hacker technology for secret deals in the darknet. The innovation of blockchain technology is found in its successful combination of already existing approaches: such as decentralized networks, cryptography, and consensus models. This innovative concept makes it possible to exchange values in a decentralized system. At the same time, there is no requirement for trust between its nodes (e.g. users). With this study the Hasso Plattner Institute would like to help readers form their own opinion about blockchain technology, and to distinguish between truly innovative properties and hype. The authors of the present study analyze the positive and negative properties of the blockchain architecture and suggest possible solutions, which can contribute to the efficient use of the technology. We recommend that every company define a clear target for the intended application, which is achievable with a reasonable cost-benefit ration, before deciding on this technology. Both the possibilities and the limitations of blockchain technology need to be considered. The relevant steps that must be taken in this respect are summarized /summed up for the reader in this study. Furthermore, this study elaborates on urgent problems such as the scalability of the blockchain, appropriate consensus algorithm and security, including various types of possible attacks and their countermeasures. New blockchains, for example, run the risk of reducing security, as changes to existing technology can lead to lacks in the security and failures. After discussing the innovative properties and problems of the blockchain technology, its implementation is discussed. There are a lot of implementation opportunities for companies available who are interested in the blockchain realization. The numerous applications have either their own blockchain as a basis or use existing and widespread blockchain systems. Various consortia and projects offer "blockchain-as-a-service{\"a}nd help other companies to develop, test and deploy their own applications. This study gives a detailed overview of diverse relevant applications and projects in the field of blockchain technology. As this technology is still a relatively young and fast developing approach, it still lacks uniform standards to allow the cooperation of different systems and to which all developers can adhere. Currently, developers are orienting themselves to Bitcoin, Ethereum and Hyperledger systems, which serve as the basis for many other blockchain applications. The goal is to give readers a clear and comprehensive overview of blockchain technology and its capabilities.},
  language  = {en}
}
@book{GayvoronskayaMeinelSchnjakin2018,
  author    = {Gayvoronskaya, Tatiana and Meinel, Christoph and Schnjakin, Maxim},
  title     = {Blockchain},
  number    = {113},
  publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam},
  address   = {Potsdam},
  isbn      = {978-3-86956-394-7},
  issn      = {1613-5652},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-103141},
  publisher      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {109},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {Der Begriff Blockchain ist in letzter Zeit zu einem Schlagwort geworden, aber nur wenige wissen, was sich genau dahinter verbirgt. Laut einer Umfrage, die im ersten Quartal 2017 ver{\"o}ffentlicht wurde, ist der Begriff nur bei 35 Prozent der deutschen Mittelst{\"a}ndler bekannt. Dabei ist die Blockchain-Technologie durch ihre rasante Entwicklung und die globale Eroberung unterschiedlicher M{\"a}rkte f{\"u}r Massenmedien sehr interessant. So sehen viele die Blockchain-Technologie entweder als eine Allzweckwaffe, zu der aber nur wenige einen Zugang haben, oder als eine Hacker-Technologie f{\"u}r geheime Gesch{\"a}fte im Darknet. Dabei liegt die Innovation der Blockchain-Technologie in ihrer erfolgreichen Zusammensetzung bereits vorhandener Ans{\"a}tze: dezentrale Netzwerke, Kryptographie, Konsensfindungsmodelle. Durch das innovative Konzept wird ein Werte-Austausch in einem dezentralen System m{\"o}glich. Dabei wird kein Vertrauen zwischen dessen Knoten (z.B. Nutzer) vorausgesetzt. Mit dieser Studie m{\"o}chte das Hasso-Plattner-Institut den Lesern helfen, ihren eigenen Standpunkt zur Blockchain-Technologie zu finden und dabei dazwischen unterscheiden zu k{\"o}nnen, welche Eigenschaften wirklich innovativ und welche nichts weiter als ein Hype sind. Die Autoren der vorliegenden Arbeit analysieren positive und negative Eigenschaften, welche die Blockchain-Architektur pr{\"a}gen, und stellen m{\"o}gliche Anpassungs- und L{\"o}sungsvorschl{\"a}ge vor, die zu einem effizienten Einsatz der Technologie beitragen k{\"o}nnen. Jedem Unternehmen, bevor es sich f{\"u}r diese Technologie entscheidet, wird dabei empfohlen, f{\"u}r den geplanten Anwendungszweck zun{\"a}chst ein klares Ziel zu definieren, das mit einem angemessenen Kosten-Nutzen-Verh{\"a}ltnis angestrebt werden kann. Dabei sind sowohl die M{\"o}glichkeiten als auch die Grenzen der Blockchain-Technologie zu beachten. Die relevanten Schritte, die es in diesem Zusammenhang zu beachten gilt, fasst die Studie f{\"u}r die Leser {\"u}bersichtlich zusammen. Es wird ebenso auf akute Fragestellungen wie Skalierbarkeit der Blockchain, geeigneter Konsensalgorithmus und Sicherheit eingegangen, darunter verschiedene Arten m{\"o}glicher Angriffe und die entsprechenden Gegenmaßnahmen zu deren Abwehr. Neue Blockchains etwa laufen Gefahr, geringere Sicherheit zu bieten, da {\"A}nderungen an der bereits bestehenden Technologie zu Schutzl{\"u}cken und M{\"a}ngeln f{\"u}hren k{\"o}nnen. Nach Diskussion der innovativen Eigenschaften und Probleme der Blockchain-Technologie wird auf ihre Umsetzung eingegangen. Interessierten Unternehmen stehen viele Umsetzungsm{\"o}glichkeiten zur Verf{\"u}gung. Die zahlreichen Anwendungen haben entweder eine eigene Blockchain als Grundlage oder nutzen bereits bestehende und weitverbreitete Blockchain-Systeme. Zahlreiche Konsortien und Projekte bieten „Blockchain-as-a-Service" an und unterst{\"u}tzen andere Unternehmen beim Entwickeln, Testen und Bereitstellen von Anwendungen. Die Studie gibt einen detaillierten {\"U}berblick {\"u}ber zahlreiche relevante Einsatzbereiche und Projekte im Bereich der Blockchain-Technologie. Dadurch, dass sie noch relativ jung ist und sich schnell entwickelt, fehlen ihr noch einheitliche Standards, die Zusammenarbeit der verschiedenen Systeme erlauben und an die sich alle Entwickler halten k{\"o}nnen. Aktuell orientieren sich Entwickler an Bitcoin-, Ethereum- und Hyperledger-Systeme, diese dienen als Grundlage f{\"u}r viele weitere Blockchain-Anwendungen. Ziel ist, den Lesern einen klaren und umfassenden {\"U}berblick {\"u}ber die Blockchain-Technologie und deren M{\"o}glichkeiten zu vermitteln.},
  language  = {de}
}