Question about transaction processing and the SERIAL keyword in YottaDB and FIS GT.M Mumps:
The documentation says this:
The SERIAL keyword indicates that YottaDB must ensure the serializability of the transaction. Note that YottaDB always serializes transactions regardless of the SERIAL keyword.
To me this indicates that SERIAL has no effect because it is the default behaviour of YottaDB, even if the keyword is not given.
It this the correct conclusion? If not, what is the difference between transactions started with and without the SERIAL keyword?
In YottaDB and the upstream GT.M, transactions are indeed always SERIAL (as they should be; a transaction that is not SERIAL violates Consistency). However, other M implementations don't properly implement transactions, and potentially SERIAL has value to them. YottaDB recognizes the SERIAL keyword because it is part of the M standard.