Abstract: A database is maintained that stores data persistently. Tasks are accepted from task sources. At least some of the tasks have competing requirements for use of regions of the database. Each of the regions includes data that is all either locked or not locked for writing at a given time. Each of the regions is associated with an available processor. For each of the tasks, jobs are defined each of which requires write access to regions that are to be accessed by no more than one of the processors. Jobs are distributed for concurrent execution by the associated processors.