What is the final step in the successful completion of a database transaction?

The final step in the successful completion of a database transaction is to commit the transaction. Committing a transaction signifies that all the operations that were performed during the transaction have been completed successfully and that the changes made to the database should be permanent. This ensures data integrity, as it allows users to finalize their changes, and any associated locks on the resources can be released.

When a transaction is committed, the database management system makes all changes made during the transaction visible to other users and applications, effectively solidifying the transaction's data alterations. This is crucial in maintaining consistency in the database, particularly in environments with concurrent access where multiple users may be interacting with the database simultaneously.

In contrast, rolling back a transaction undoes any changes made, validating typically refers to checking the correctness of data inputs, while finalizing is less of a standard term in the context of database transactions. Thus, committing represents the definitive step that ensures a transaction's effects are recorded and acknowledged within the database.