CREATE TABLE t1 (a int PRIMARY KEY)
CREATE TABLE t2 (a int REFERENCES t1(a))
GO
INSERT INTO t1 VALUES (1)
INSERT INTO t1 VALUES (3)
INSERT INTO t1 VALUES (4)
INSERT INTO t1 VALUES (6)
GO
SET XACT_ABORT OFF
GO
BEGIN TRAN
INSERT INTO t2 VALUES (1)
INSERT INTO t2 VALUES (2) /* Foreign key error */
INSERT INTO t2 VALUES (3)
COMMIT TRAN
GO
SET XACT_ABORT ON
GO
BEGIN TRAN
INSERT INTO t2 VALUES (4)
INSERT INTO t2 VALUES (5) /* Foreign key error */
INSERT INTO t2 VALUES (6)
COMMIT TRAN
GO
/* Select shows only keys 1 and 3 added.
Key 2 insert failed and was rolled back, but
XACT_ABORT was OFF and rest of transaction
succeeded.
Key 5 insert error with XACT_ABORT ON caused
all of the second transaction to roll back. */
SELECT *
FROM t2
GO
DROP TABLE t2
DROP TABLE t1
GOIn this Code snippets demonstates the behaviour of XACT_ABORT option in transaction in SQL.