What does the term "ACID" stand for in the context of databases?

In the context of databases, "ACID" stands for Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability. This set of principles is crucial for ensuring reliable transactions in a database system.

Atomicity guarantees that a transaction is treated as a single, indivisible unit. This means that either all operations within the transaction are completed successfully, or none are applied at all, preserving the integrity of the database.

Consistency ensures that a transaction brings the database from one valid state to another, maintaining all predefined rules and constraints. This means that data is valid before and after the transaction.

Isolation is about how transactions are separated from one another. Even if multiple transactions occur simultaneously, each transaction should operate as if it were the only one affecting the database at that moment. This prevents issues like dirty reads or inconsistent data being read by other transactions.

Durability guarantees that once a transaction has been committed, it will remain in the system even in the event of a power failure or crash. This means that the results of the transaction are permanent and not lost.

These principles are fundamental to relational database systems, ensuring that they can handle transactions reliably and maintain the integrity of the data. The other options do not represent core database characteristics and are unrelated to the established definitions within