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Online Transactional Operations

A transactional operation is a set of related actions that are treated as a single, indivisible unit of work, ensuring they either all succeed or all fail together, never partially.

This "all or nothing" principle, often defined by ACID properties (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability), guarantees data integrity by preventing incomplete changes in systems like databases or e-commerce platforms.

Key Aspects of Transactional Operations​

  • Atomicity The entire set of operations is treated as a single, atomic unit. Either all operations are executed successfully, or none of them take effect.
  • Consistency A transaction brings the system from one valid state to another, maintaining the integrity of the data.
  • Isolation Transactions execute independently, so the outcome of one transaction does not affect others, preventing data corruption.
  • Durability Once a transaction is successfully completed and "committed," its changes are permanent and will not be lost, even if there is a system failure.

Why are they important?​

  • Data Integrity: They prevent partial updates, ensuring that data remains accurate and reliable, especially in systems where errors can be costly.
  • System Reliability: By treating operations as a complete unit, error recovery is simplified, making applications more robust.
  • Complex Processes: They allow for the management of complex business logic, such as online purchases, where multiple steps must succeed to complete the transaction.

Examples​

  • Online Banking Withdrawing money involves deducting from one account and adding to another; both steps must complete or the transaction fails.
  • E-commerce Purchasing a book requires updating inventory, processing payment, and confirming the order; all these steps must succeed for the purchase to be valid.
  • Database Operations Any sequence of database operations (reads, writes, updates, deletes) grouped as a single unit to ensure data consistency.