Designing Systems for Internet Commerce, Second Edition

Chapter 17. Transaction Processing

	Six thousand years ago, the Sumerians invented writing for transaction processing.
	--Jim Gray and Andreas Reuter[1]

Transactions and Internet Commerce

This chapter serves two functions: it introduces the technologies of transaction pro-cessing as they relate to Internet commerce, and it discusses several issues related to the completeness and integrity of the commerce application, such as backup and disaster recovery.

The purpose of Internet commerce is to facilitate the exchange of payments for goods and services. The purpose of transaction processing, at its most basic, is to ensure that if payment has occurred, then goods are delivered, and to ensure that goods are never delivered to someone who has not paid ...