By default @Transactional rolls back on RuntimeException but not on checked exceptions. Why does that bite you?
PICTURE THIS: HOW TO EXPLAIN IT
Simple meaning
A method that catches nothing and throws IOException can still commit partial JDBC work.
WHY — Spring Boot instead of guessing?
Why interviewers care about Spring Boot:
people who only read docs from people who shipped.
and tied to Backend work.
Name the idea, why it exists, then one short example.
End with when you use it and one common pitfall.
STEPS — What happens step by step?
Before you speak the answer, walk the interviewer through these steps:
- 1A method that catches
nothing and throws IOException can still commit partial JDBC work.
- 2You set rollbackFor =
Exception.class when checked failures should abort.
- 3Never catch Exception, log,
and return success inside a transactional method if the unit of work failed.
- 4Give an example
One tiny concrete case you can say aloud.
- 5Common mistake
What juniors usually get wrong.
- 6Close
When you pick this over the alternative.
EXAMPLE — See it in action
Here's a short line you can speak, broken into clear beats:
Note: Adapt this scaffold to your own project — keep it under 60–90 seconds.
Key takeaway
A method that catches nothing and throws IOException can still commit partial JDBC work. You set rollbackFor = Exception.class when checked failures should abort.