AutoTMF Software User's Guide (Update 11)

Configuring Automatic Transaction Processing

HP NonStop AutoTMF Software User’s Guide—429952-013

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Automatic Transactions

NonStop AutoTMF software provides transactions when a program is not programmed

to provide transactions. As needed, NonStop AutoTMF software starts and commits

automatic transactions. Nontransactional programs are unaware that automatic

transactions are being created and committed.

While automatic transactions are being created and committed, a process may have its

own transactions, through calls to BEGINTRANSACTION or by inheriting transactions

through messages on $RECEIVE. Such transactions are called process transactions.

The process can manage its own transactions, while its automatic transactions are

managed transparently by NonStop AutoTMF software.

Automatic transactions are created on demand, that is, only when the process

accesses an audited file in a way that requires a transaction.

Automatic transactions are used only for database operations within a single process;

automatic transactions are never exported to server processes.

Automatic transactions are always committed; they are never aborted.

Common Transaction

The common transaction is the default type of automatic transaction. The common

transaction is used to access multiple audited files within the same transaction. At any

time, a process has at most one common transaction.

Nontransactional applications do not require configuration of common transactions.

You may configure common transactions to force the use of automatic transactions for

specific files, even if processes have their own transactions. This capacity is useful

when a transactional application has some previously unaudited files that are to be

audited using automatic transactions.

You may also use the ALTER GLOBAL ATMFCOMMONTX command to disable

automatic transactions for all files that are not explicitly configured for those

transactions.

Separate Transactions

Separate transactions are used to access a single file open (indicated by a unique file

number) within its own transaction.

Configure separate transactions to:

•

request automatic transactions for specific files, even if processes have their own

transactions. (Consider configuring common transactions instead.)

Note. Do not configure files that were previously audited as COMMONTX, since configuring

such files can cause locking problems.