Transaction Coordinator for Message Link Data Consistency

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional transaction processing techniques face challenges in ensuring data consistency across message link-level transactions, leading to eventual consistency issues that require manual intervention and increase development, operations, and maintenance costs.

Innovation Solution

A system and method that utilize a transaction coordinator to manage message link-level transactions by assigning a global transaction ID, allowing each terminal to process transactions as a single global transaction, thereby ensuring data consistency and reducing manual intervention through automatic context propagation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the transactional message technique is used to ensure data consistency of multi-database local transactions, then data consistency between sending terminal and message-oriented middleware is improved, but the local transaction of the message receiving terminal cannot be ensured to succeed, requiring continual retrying and manual intervention

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata consistencyVSAvoidtransaction coordination complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a transaction coordinator as an intermediary component that manages the entire transaction process. The coordinator assigns global transaction IDs, tracks transaction states, and coordinates commit/rollback operations across multiple terminals. This mediator resolves the complexity by centralizing transaction management rather than relying on distributed retrying mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the transaction management process into distinct phases: transaction initiation (assigning global transaction ID), execution (local transactions at sending and receiving terminals), and completion (commit or rollback). This segmentation allows each phase to be managed independently with clear state transitions, reducing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If continual retrying is implemented for the local transaction of the message receiving terminal, then eventual consistency is achieved, but development, operations, and maintenance costs increase due to manual intervention requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveeventual consistencyVSAvoiddevelopment and maintenance cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The transaction coordinator implements self-service by automatically managing transaction state transitions without requiring manual intervention. When a receiving terminal fails to complete its local transaction, the coordinator detects the failure and automatically initiates rollback procedures, eliminating the need for manual retrying and reducing operational costs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where the transaction coordinator continuously monitors transaction states at both sending and receiving terminals. This feedback loop allows the coordinator to detect failures and trigger appropriate responses (commit or rollback) automatically, ensuring consistency without manual intervention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If manual intervention is used to resolve transaction failures at the message receiving terminal, then data consistency can be restored, but productivity and operational efficiency decrease

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata consistencyVSAvoidoperational efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The transaction coordinator performs preliminary actions by pre-assigning global transaction IDs and establishing transaction contexts before actual transaction execution. This preliminary setup enables automatic detection and resolution of failures, eliminating the need for manual intervention and improving operational efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS11256536B2Method and system for processing transactions using a transaction coordinator

Publication Date: 2022.02.22 ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LTD

AI summary

Processing a transaction is disclosed including receiving a global transaction start request sent by a message sending terminal, the global transaction start request instructing that a message link-level transaction be started, assigning a unique transaction identifier to the message link-level transaction, and sending a global transaction ID to the message sending terminal, the global transaction ID including the unique transaction ID and an address of a transaction coordinator configured to coordinate the message link-level transaction.