Database Question of the Month!

[Channel5]

I'm curious...

Is it possible for a database to mess up?

What I mean is: is it possible that two queries can be run at exactly the same time so that only one query would update the database, while other wouldn't make any changes?

For example, if there are hundreds of update queries happening a second, would they ever overlap and scramble the inputs?

I suppose the reason I ask is because I'd like to know just how accurate code can be when it's being run many times at the very same time... or is there no such thing as the "very same time" in the Great Land of Database?

[laserlight]

Are you assuming that the database server and software can handle the load? Are the queries in a single transaction?

[johanafm]

If you use a transaction safe database, there is no problem. But since you seem to be talking about a single insert, you can most likely trust your database to handle this, wether it's transaction safe or not. Still, if you need to be able to trust the data, use a transation safe database.