Ever wondered how a simple online purchase becomes a whirlwind of activity behind the scenes? The secret lies in a powerful system called a transaction processing system (TPS). Imagine a tireless worker meticulously recording every sale, updating inventory, managing accounts payable, and ensuring smooth financial flow – that’s the magic of a TPS. TPS manages a wide range of company’s business transactions to ensure smooth business operations, handling everything from online purchases to ticket sales for events in real-time.

This guide delves into the world of the transaction processing system, exploring its definition, different types, and the many benefits it brings to businesses. We’ll also unveil a secret to help you build your own solution and accelerate your product launch.

What is a transaction processing system?

A transaction processing system (TPS) is a computerized system that manages all of a company's business transactions, specifically focusing on data transactions such as gathering, storing, modifying, retrieving, and processing information.

Data storage is a key activity within a TPS, ensuring that all transaction data is securely kept and easily accessible. These data transactions are crucial for the fundamental operations of an organization, involving recording, retrieving, and modifying data. For example, when you make a purchase online, the TPS processes your order, updates the inventory, and credits the seller’s account.

Online transaction processing (OLTP) is a subset of TPS that specifically deals with transactions over the internet, such as online banking and order entry, providing real-time processing of transactions.

Watch this video to learn more about TPS:

Components of the transaction processing system (TPS)

A well-functioning transaction processing system (TPS) relies on four main components working together to handle business transactions effectively:

Inputs

This is the starting point of any transaction. It refers to the data or instructions that enter the TPS, typically initiated by a user or an external system. Inputs can take various forms, including:

• Customer orders
• Payment information
• Inventory updates

TPS processes all the data as it arrives, ensuring no transaction is left unrecorded.

Processing

Once the TPS receives the input, the processing unit takes over. This component interprets the data, validates its accuracy, and performs the necessary actions based on the type of transaction.  

Here are some typical processing tasks:

• Calculating order totals and discounts
• Verifying customer information and credit card details
• Updating inventory levels
• Generating invoices and receipts

Outputs

After processing the input, the TPS generates an output, which is the result of the transaction. 

Outputs can be delivered in various ways, such as:

• Displaying a confirmation message on a screen (e.g., order confirmation)
• Printing receipts or invoices
• Updating customer accounts or databases
• Sending email notifications (e.g., order shipped)

Database

This is the heart of a TPS, storing all the crucial data related to business transactions. The database can include information on:

• Customers (names, addresses, purchase history)
• Products (descriptions, prices, stock levels)
• Employees (payroll details, work schedules)
• Financial transactions (sales records, payments received)

The TPS ensures these components work seamlessly to ensure smooth transaction processing, accurate data management, and efficient business operations.

What are the functions of a transaction processing system?

Transaction processing systems (TPS) play a critical role in keeping a company’s operations running smoothly. They have several key functions:

• Recording transactions: TPS systems meticulously record all financial transactions, including sales, purchases, and payments.
• Updating data: Transaction payment systems update the company’s database with the latest transaction information, ensuring that the data stays current.
• Maintaining data integrity: The systems adhere to data integrity rules to prevent errors and inconsistencies from entering the system, thus ensuring the accuracy and consistency of the information within the database.
• Generating reports: TPS systems can produce reports summarizing transactions and providing valuable insights into the company’s performance. These reports can be used to track sales trends, identify improvement areas, and make data-driven business decisions.

In summary, these systems are the backbone of a company’s financial operations, ensuring efficient transaction processing, maintaining data accuracy, and generating insightful reports.

Types of transaction processing systems

There are two main types of transaction processing systems that differ based on how they handle transactions:

Real-time processing

This type of system processes transactions as they occur, providing immediate updates and responses. This is what you experience when you buy something online and receive instant confirmation of your order.

Real-time processing systems are ideal for situations where up-to-the-minute data is crucial, such as:

• Online banking transactions
• Stock exchanges
• Airline reservation systems
• Real-time processing system

Batch processing

Here, transactions are grouped and processed periodically, in batches. This is often used for tasks that are not time-sensitive and can be accumulated over a while, such as:

• Payroll processing
• Generating reports
• Sending out invoices
• Batch processing systems

The choice between real-time and batch processing depends on the specific needs of the business and the nature of the transactions.

Real-time processing offers faster response times and better accuracy, but it can be more expensive to implement and maintain.

Batch processing is more cost-effective for non-critical tasks but may result in delays in processing and updating data.

Advantages of the transaction processing system

Transaction processing systems offer numerous benefits for businesses by streamlining processes and automating tasks. These advantages include:

Increased efficiency and productivity

The system automates manual tasks, allowing employees to focus on critical areas and improve overall efficiency.

Improved accuracy and reduced errors

By automating data capture and validation, the payment system minimizes human errors, resulting in more reliable financial records.

Improved scalability and growth

It can easily handle increasing transaction volumes, making it scalable to accommodate business growth.

Global reach

With TPS in place, businesses can facilitate online transactions, expanding their reach to a wider customer base and operating in a global marketplace.

Cost savings

Automating tasks and streamlining processes with transaction processing systems can lead to significant cost savings in the long run.

While TPS directly benefits businesses, it indirectly improves the customer experience through faster transactions, better accuracy, and potentially a wider range of products and services.

Examples of the transaction processing system

Transaction processing systems are essential for businesses, handling daily financial transactions.

Here are some real-world transaction processing examples of TPS you might encounter:

Retail

Point-of-Sale systems: When you swipe your card at Walmart, the Square Point-of-Sale system (or a similar system from other providers) is a TPS in action. The system captures your purchase information, updates inventory levels, and finalizes the transaction using your bank card.

Banking

ATMs: Withdrawing cash or checking your balance at an ATM involves a TPS. It verifies your identity, retrieves your account information, updates your balance, and dispenses the cash.

E-commerce

Online shopping platforms: Adding items to your cart and checking out on an e-commerce website like Amazon relies on a TPS. It processes your order details, verifies your payment information, and updates the inventory for those items.

Finance

Stock exchanges: Every trade on a stock exchange like the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is facilitated by a complex TPS. It ensures order matching between buyers and sellers, updates stock prices based on those trades, and settles transactions electronically, transferring ownership of the stocks.

Airline system reservation

Airline reservation systems: Booking a flight online involves a TPS. The system checks seat availability, verifies your payment information, and generates your ticket and confirmation email.

TPS is integrated across various industries to ensure efficient, accurate, and real-time processing of transactions to support business operations.

How to build the transaction processing system?

Building a transaction processing system from scratch can be a complex and time-consuming process. It requires expertise in various areas such as database management, understanding transaction processing logic, and implementing robust security measures. 

An alternative approach is to consider a ready-made SDK.finance FinTech solution. With functionalities specifically designed for building transaction processing systems the SDK.finance Platform can accelerate your product launch:

• Ready-made Platform: SDK.finance offers a scalable solution with transaction processing functionalities, saving you development time and resources.
• Scalability: Our solution can handle more than 2700 TPS (transactions per second) and can easily handle over 233 million daily transactions on a basic configuration.
• API-first approach: API-first architecture streamlines custom integrations with third-party providers.
• Out-of-the-box integrations: The system comes equipped with pre-integrated vendors for key functionalities such as payment acceptance, card issuance, and KYC compliance.
• Faster time to market: With ready-made software and build-in integrations you can significantly reduce development time and launch your product faster.

This allows you to focus on your core business functionalities and get your product to market quickly.

View the demo video of the SDK.finance Platform to explore how you can streamline transaction management and guarantee financial compliance using our robust FinTech Platform: