In database management, what does isolation help prevent?

In database management, what does isolation help prevent?

• A. Data loss during transactions
• B. Conflicts between concurrent transactions
• C. System crashes
• D. Unauthorized access

Answer: (B)

Isolation is a fundamental principle in database management, particularly within the context of transaction processing. It serves to ensure that transactions are executed in a way that does not affect each other, maintaining database integrity and providing a reliable environment for data manipulation. When multiple transactions are processed simultaneously, there's a risk that they may interfere with each other, leading to inconsistent or incorrect data states. Isolation helps prevent this by ensuring that when one transaction is being executed, others cannot see its intermediate results until it is completed. This guarantees that transactions are isolated from one another, thus protecting the integrity of the data being worked on. While other outcomes, such as data loss during transactions, system crashes, and unauthorized access are critical considerations in database management, they are addressed by other mechanisms such as durability and security protocols. Hence, the specific role of isolation centers around preventing conflicts between concurrent transactions, ensuring that each one operates independently without interference from others.

Isolation is a fundamental principle in database management, particularly within the context of transaction processing. It serves to ensure that transactions are executed in a way that does not affect each other, maintaining database integrity and providing a reliable environment for data manipulation.

When multiple transactions are processed simultaneously, there's a risk that they may interfere with each other, leading to inconsistent or incorrect data states. Isolation helps prevent this by ensuring that when one transaction is being executed, others cannot see its intermediate results until it is completed. This guarantees that transactions are isolated from one another, thus protecting the integrity of the data being worked on.

While other outcomes, such as data loss during transactions, system crashes, and unauthorized access are critical considerations in database management, they are addressed by other mechanisms such as durability and security protocols. Hence, the specific role of isolation centers around preventing conflicts between concurrent transactions, ensuring that each one operates independently without interference from others.