Serializability

Serializability is a key concept in computer programming, particularly when it comes to transaction processing. It is a property of a transaction that ensures that when multiple transactions on a database are in progress simultaneously, the final state of the database will be identical to the one that would be obtained if the transactions had been executed serially, one after another.

In order to guarantee serializability, a system must enforce ACID properties, which are atomicity, consistency, isolation and durability. For instance, atomicity ensures that if one part of a multipart transaction fails, all changes made by the transaction are undone; consistency ensures that the data stays consistent even when multiple users are accessing it; isolation ensures that concurrent operations are kept separate and do not interfere with one another; and durability ensures that when a transaction is completed, the changes are permanently saved.

Because serializability takes into account the behavior of multiple concurrent processes, its use has become increasingly important in distributed computing and concurrency control in database management systems. With the evolution of distributed systems and transaction processing, serializability has become a critical component of any efficient and reliable transaction system. It also helps ensure data integrity by preventing undetected read-write conflicts. As such, serializability is an integral part of any system that needs to reliably and accurately process transactions.