How HPTS supports end - to - end transactional applications ( and has done so since 1997 )

This document represents a response to a recent enquiry concerning the perceived inability for modern transaction processing systems, and HPTS in particular, to support end-to-end transactional guarantees [MKP01]. Before addressing the question of whether or not any specific transaction system can be used to provide end-to-end transactional guarantees, it is important to realise the following: end-to-end transactionality is not some holy grail of transactioning that people have been searching for in myths and legends; it is a solution to one specific problem area, and is in no way a global panacea to all transaction issues. The ability, or lack thereof, to provide end-to-end transaction integrity guarantees does not in and of itself prevent a specific transaction system provider from tackling many other equally important issues in today’s evolving world of e-commerce and mobile applications.