Java Transaction Processing
by
Mark Little, Jon Maron, Greg Pavlik
Prentice Hall PTR
1 edition
July 2004
448 pages
Reviewed by Jeanne Boyarsky, July 2004
(9 of 10)
"Java Transaction Processing" explains how to use different types of transactions in Java and J2EE programs. The authors state the audience is architects and senior developers. I agree and would recommend beginners read a different book first. There isn't any fluff in this book. They even separate the history into an appendix. The transaction coverage is quite thorough.
The introduction leaps right into transaction concepts. They range from the simple (ACID) to the complex (heuristics.) If you don?t understand anything in this introduction, read it again. The rest of the book assumes an understanding of all these concepts.
The authors balance the complex concepts with a large number of visuals. The most common are flowcharts and UML class/interaction/state diagrams. In chapter one, there are 31 diagrams (in 60 pages) alone. The authors provide an interaction diagram for most code snippets to give you a visual feel.
For J2EE topics, the authors provide a brief overview of the topic and end with a detailed example. They also cover features of technologies in the JCP. And what book would be complete without a chapter on web services? The authors include the alternatives and an excellent comparison of each.
The authors include many real world issues, best practices and tradeoffs. There is even an appendix on considerations when buying a transaction implementation and lessons learned. I spotted two minor editing typos, but they don't get in the way. I recommend this book to anyone who uses transactions.
(9 of 10)
