The database system initially retains undo log files. This function is called history management.
At regular intervals, garbage collectors check the undo log entries in the undo log files and delete any files that are no longer required. This frees up user tasks that would otherwise be deleting undo log entries and the database system can process COMMITs more quickly.
SAP liveCache database instances also use history management for consistent views. You can configure transaction consistency for OLTP (MaxDB) database instances through the isolation level.