START TRANSACTION

Function

Starts a transaction. If the isolation level or read/write mode is specified, a new transaction will have those characteristics. You can also specify them using SET TRANSACTION.

Precautions

None

Syntax

Format 1: START TRANSACTION

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START TRANSACTION
  [ 
    { 
       ISOLATION LEVEL { READ COMMITTED | READ UNCOMMITTED | SERIALIZABLE | REPEATABLE READ }
       | { READ WRITE | READ ONLY }
     } [, ...] 
  ];

Format 2: BEGIN

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BEGIN [ WORK | TRANSACTION ]
  [ 
    { 
       ISOLATION LEVEL { READ COMMITTED | READ UNCOMMITTED | SERIALIZABLE | REPEATABLE READ }
       | { READ WRITE | READ ONLY }
      } [, ...] 
  ];

Parameter Description

• WORK | TRANSACTION

  Specifies the optional keyword in BEGIN format without functions.

• ISOLATION LEVEL

  Specifies the transaction isolation level that determines the data that a transaction can view if other concurrent transactions exist.

  

  The isolation level of a transaction cannot be reset after the first clause (INSERT, DELETE, UPDATE, FETCH, COPY) for modifying data is executed in the transaction.

  Value range:

  • READ COMMITTED: Only committed data is read. It is the default value.
  • READ UNCOMMITTED: Uncommitted data is probably read. This isolation level is provided to handle CN breakdown emergencies. On this isolation level, you are advised to only read data to prevent inconsistency.
  • REPEATABLE READ: Only the data committed before transaction start is read. Uncommitted data or data committed in other concurrent transactions cannot be read.
  • SERIALIZABLE: Currently, this isolation level is not supported in GaussDB. It is equivalent to REPEATABLE READ.
• READ WRITE | READ ONLY

  Specifies the transaction access mode (read/write or read only).

Examples

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-- Start a transaction in default mode.
openGauss=# START TRANSACTION;
openGauss=# SELECT * FROM tpcds.reason;
openGauss=# END;

-- Start a transaction in default mode.
openGauss=# BEGIN;
openGauss=# SELECT * FROM tpcds.reason;
openGauss=# END;

-- Start a transaction with the isolation level being READ COMMITTED and the access mode being READ WRITE:
openGauss=# START TRANSACTION ISOLATION LEVEL READ COMMITTED READ WRITE;
openGauss=# SELECT * FROM tpcds.reason;
openGauss=# COMMIT;

Helpful Links

COMMIT | END, ROLLBACK, SET TRANSACTION