Online transaction processing, or OLTP, refers to a class of systems that facilitate and manage transaction-oriented applications, typically for data entry and retrieval transaction processing. The term is somewhat ambiguous; some understand a "transaction" in the context of computer or database transactions, while others (such as the Transaction Processing Performance Council) define it in terms of business or commercial transactions.[1] OLTP has also been used to refer to processing in which the system responds immediately to user requests. An automatic teller machine (ATM) for a bank is an example of a commercial transaction processing application.
The technology is used in a number of industries, including banking, airlines, mailorder, supermarkets, and manufacturing. Applications include electronic banking, order processing, employee time clock systems, e-commerce, and eTrading. The most widely used OLTP system is probably IBM's CICS.[2]
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Requirements
Online transaction processing increasingly requires support for transactions that span a network and may include more than one company. For this reason, new OLTP software uses client/server processing and brokering software that allows transactions to run on different computer platforms in a network.
In large applications, efficient OLTP may depend on sophisticated transaction management software (such as CICS) and/or database optimization tactics to facilitate the processing of large numbers of concurrent updates to an OLTP-oriented database.
For even more demanding decentralized database systems, OLTP brokering programs can distribute transaction processing among multiple computers on a network. OLTP is often integrated into SOA service-oriented architecture and Web services. Because there is a need for transactions you will need online processing.
Benefits
Online Transaction Processing has two key benefits: simplicity and efficiency. Reduced paper trails and the faster, more accurate forecasts for revenues and expenses are both examples of how OLTP makes things simpler for businesses.
Disadvantages
As with any information processing system, security and reliability are considerations. Online transaction systems are generally more susceptible to direct attack and abuse than their offline counterparts. When organizations choose to rely on OLTP, like any other technology, operations can be severely impacted by reliability problems. Also, some systems require offline maintenance which further affects the cost-benefit analysis.
See also
- Data mart
- Data warehouse
- OLAP
- ETL
- Transaction processing
- Database transaction
- Derby in-memory Java Database
- IBM Customer Information Control System
Contrasted To
References
External links
- H-store Project (architectural and application shifts affecting OLTP performance)
- IBM CICS official website
- Transaction Processing Performance Council
- Comparison of OLTP and OLAP
- OLTP Schema
- Transaction Processing: Concepts & Techniques Management
- About Processing - in Hebrew - By Yoram Azrakיורם אזרק
- Business Intelligence OLTP
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