Discuss the deferred update technique of recovery. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this technique? Why is it called the NO-UNDO/REDO method?

Short Answer

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The deferred update or NO-UNDO/REDO technique in database recovery involves recording changes in a logging buffer, and applying to the database after the transaction has been committed, eliminating the need for 'undo' operations due to the delay in updating the database. Its advantages include cost and time efficiency in case of system failure, and maintaining atomicity of transactions. On the downside, it requires more logging space, results in higher wait times, and can provide obsolete data to transactions due to the delay in updating.

Step by step solution

01

Explanation of the Deferred Update Technique

Deferred update, also known as NO-UNDO/REDO or write-ahead logging, is a technique used in database recovery. In this method, changes made in a transaction are not immediately updated in the database. Instead, the changes are recorded in the system's logging buffer. The changes are applied to the database only after the transaction reaches its commit point. If a system failure occurs before the transaction reaches that point, the changes aren't made to the database, making this a 'no-undo' method. The recorded changes, however, are used to redo the transaction after recovery, hence the term 'redo' method.
02

Advantages of the Deferred Update Technique

There are several benefits of this technique. Firstly, as we don't need to undo transactions it saves the cost of undoing. Secondly, it greatly simplifies crash recovery by applying only redo operations. Lastly, there are no modifications to the database until the transaction is committed, this ensures the atomicity property of the transactions are maintained.
03

Disadvantages of the Deferred Update Technique

Despite its advantages, the deferred update technique has certain drawbacks. Firstly, there is a higher wait time because the database isn't updated immediately. Also, it requires a substantial amount of logging space as all changes are recorded. In addition, delay in reflecting the changes to the database might lead to obsolete data being provided to other transactions.
04

Why it's Known as the NO-UNDO/REDO Technique

This method gets its name because changes to the database aren't made until after the commit point meaning that if a system failure occurs, there's no need for an 'undo' operation as no changes have been made to the database yet. Therefore, it is called a 'NO-UNDO' method. After recovery from a system failure, the changes that were stored in the log are then made in the database, hence the 'REDO' part of the description.

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