A Level Computer Science OCR Practice Exam

Which term describes individual operations in transaction processing?

1. Transactions

2. Operations

3. Commands

4. Tasks

The correct answer is: Transactions

The term that best describes individual operations in transaction processing is "Transactions." In the context of databases and transaction processing systems, transactions refer to a sequence of one or more operations that are treated as a single, indivisible unit. This means that either all operations within the transaction are successfully completed, and the changes are committed, or none are applied at all if there is a failure. This ensures data integrity and consistency, adhering to the principles of atomicity, consistency, isolation, and durability (ACID properties). While the other terms like "Operations," "Commands," and "Tasks" may relate to actions performed within a system, they do not specifically encapsulate the concept of operations bundled together to ensure data consistency as transactions do. Operations can refer to any action taken on data but do not imply the critical importance of grouping those actions. Commands are often associated with instructions given to software or hardware, and tasks typically refer to a unit of work rather than the transactional nature of processing multiple operations together. Thus, the precise definition and application of transactions make it the most appropriate choice in this context.