Atomic Transactions: In Concurrent and Distributed Systems (The...

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 476 pages
• Published by: Morgan Kaufmann August 1, 1993
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 155860104X
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1558601048
• Book Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 1.3 inches
• Weighs: 2.3 pounds

Product Review
The authors of Atomic Transactions have a deep, nearly organic, way of thinking about what goes on in online transaction processing (OLTP) systems. Reading this book brings to mind the physical laws of chemistry and kinetics, as if the atomic functions of database transactions (file writes, file reads, query transmissions, and so on) are comparable to whirling atoms in the real world.

The book provides a formal mathematical model that attempts to explain the behaviors of OLTP systems at several levels, much as the equations that we use to explain gravity work at both the atomic and the planetary levels. The model, which is extremely complicated and contains loads of mathematical notation, explains how time, data, and user behavior interact to form a system that allows concurrent access to a database.

If you don't already have a good understanding of what goes on in an OLTP system, this isn't the book to read. Rather, take a look at Transaction Processing: Concepts and Techniques by Jim Gray and Andreas Reuter.

Product Description


This book develops a theory for transactions that provides practical solutions for system developers, focusing on the interface between the user and the database that executes transactions. Atomic transactions are a useful abstraction for programming concurrent and distributed data processing systems. Presents many important algorithms which provide maximum concurrency for transaction processing without sacrificing data integrity. The authors include a well-developed data processing case study to help readers understand transaction processing algorithms more clearly. The book offers conceptual tools for the design of new algorithms, and for devising variations on the familiar algorithms presented in the discussions. Whether your background is in the development of practical systems or formal methods, this book will offer you a new way to view distributed systems.