Long Running Transactions / Saga
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Most transactions in current computer systems are considered "short-lived transactions". That is, the decision to commit (go-forward) or rollback (undo) the transaction is made within seconds. Long Running Transactions (LRT, also known as Sagas) are transactions that may take minutes, days or weeks before the outcome of the transaction is known. This increased length of time is common when multiple companies are required to participate in a multi-step transaction. It also occurs when the transaction is waiting for an external event (like user input).

The first step in executing a LRT is to make sure all of the parties know that they need to participate in the conversation. In the GXA, this has been accomplished via the WS-Coordination standard. After all parties agree to cooperate, another GXA standard (WS-Transaction) is used to determine the actual outcome. Unlike in short lived transactions, LRT’s will use a compensation to undo the effects of the original request if the transaction does not succeed.


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