Final answer:
To ensure serializability in a database, methods like Two-Phase Locking (2PL), Timestamp Ordering, and Serialization Graph Checking are used as part of concurrency control mechanisms to maintain data consistency and integrity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks about finding a practical approach to ensure serializability in the context of database systems. To ensure serializability, which is the correctness criterion for transactions in databases, one can use several methods.
These methods prevent the interleaving of operations from different transactions in a way that could lead to inconsistency. Some common approaches to ensure serializability include:
- Two-Phase Locking (2PL): This protocol ensures serializability by requiring transactions to acquire all the locks before any locks can be released. It involves two phases, the growing phase where all the locks are acquired, and the shrinking phase where all the locks are released.
- Timestamp Ordering: Each transaction is given a unique timestamp. Transactions are then processed according to their timestamps to ensure serializability.
- Serialization Graph Checking: This technique involves constructing a graph based on the transactions and their conflicts. If the graph has no cycles, then the schedule is serializable.
These methods are commonly used in concurrency control mechanisms within database management systems to maintain data consistency and integrity.