Formal Aspects of Concurrency Control in Long-Duration Transaction Systems using the NT/PV Model

Abstract

In the typical database system, an execution is correct if it is equivalent to some serial execution. This criterion, called serializability, is unacceptable for new database applications which require long-duration transactions. We present a new transaction model which allows correctness criteria more suitable for these applications. This model combines three enhancements to the standard model: nested transactions, explicit predicates, and multiple versions. These features yield the name of the new model, nested transactions with predicates and versions, or NT/PV. The modular nature of the NT/PV model allows a straightforward representation of simple systems. It also provides a formal framework for describing complex interactions. The most complex interactions the model allows can be captured by a protocol which exploits all of the semantics available to the NT/PV model. An example of these interactions is shown in a CASE application. The example shows how a system based on the NT/PV model is superior to both standard database techniques and unrestricted systems in both correctness and performance. © 1994, ACM. All rights reserved.