Re: MVC Architecture and transactions

Joe P. wrote:
You know, in the case of banking transactions, I would have
written the system in such a way that prior to posting a transaction,
I would ALLOCATE the funds.

Allocating funds is pretty common. If I recall correctly, when you give your credit card to a hotel during check-in they may verify that funds are available and allocate against your credit limit on the anticipation of charging against it at the end of the week.

However if you allocate against a balance, keep in mind that you also must provide for events that can and will remove the allocation, or override it, which may not be easy to decide - or track. What if a customer calls to complain against what they consider to be wrongful allocations against their credit limit?

Furthermore if an allocation is based on work in process at the teller window, would that be a reason for kicking out exceptions in the daily check-clearing procedure, which may be occurring at the same time? Or would it be easier to allow the checks to clear and have the teller address the potential rollback that could occur during the over-the-counter posting procedure? Which takes precedence (work-in-process or daily-batch postings)? It may be easier to resolve the potential teller rollback while the customer is right in front of you.

Nathan.