Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for exchanging information in a computer-implemented database system. The present invention implements this exchange using a new operator known as a Rhonda operator. A Rhonda operator includes a tuple and template as arguments and, when performed, atomically swaps its tuple with a tuple from another Rhonda operator when both their templates match. More specifically, if two processes perform Rhonda operations, and each process' template argument matches the other process' tuple argument, then each process receives the other process' tuple as a result. This atomic synchronization can be performed for two or more Rhonda operators at a time.