This topic introduces the key concepts for understanding transactions as they pertain to this product.
A transaction is unit of activity within which multiple updates to resources can be made atomic (as an indivisible unit of work) such that all or none of the updates are made permanent. WebSphere Application Server is a transaction manager that supports the coordination of resource managers and participates in distributed global transactions with transaction managers that support specific protocols. Resource managers that offer transaction support can be categorized into those that support two-phase coordination and those that support only one-phase coordination. For more information about transactions, including the specific support provided by this product for one-phase and two-phase commits, see Transaction support in WebSphere Application Server.