This refers to the fact that a DBMS should maintain and ensure the accuracy and consistency of the data over its entire life cycle. All information in a database is accessible by several users, but only one user can change a piece of data at a time.

In databases, a single logical operation on the data is called a transaction. For example, a transfer of funds from one bank to another. Atomicity[2] is one of the four properties that a transaction should have. The four properties, collectively, are called ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability).