Transactions

A transaction is a collection of SQL statements that are treated as a single unit of work. All the SQL statements that you issue in an ANSI-compliant database are automatically contained in transactions. With a database that is not ANSI-compliant, transaction processing is an option.

In a database that is not ANSI-compliant, a transaction is enclosed by a BEGIN WORK statement and a COMMIT WORK or a ROLLBACK WORK statement. However, in an ANSI-compliant database, the BEGIN WORK statement is unnecessary, because all statements are automatically contained in a transaction. You are required to indicate only the end of a transaction with a COMMIT WORK or ROLLBACK WORK statement.

For more information about transactions, see Implement a relational data model and the Informix® Guide to SQL: Tutorial.