A method for maintaining a long transaction database lock across multiple database sessions. It is determined if at least one row of a long transaction lock enabled table, identified in a long transaction lock request, is locked by a short or long transaction lock. If the row is not locked, locking the at least one row with a long transaction lock. The long transaction lock on the at least one row is associated with a current client session that generated the request. The long transaction lock can be transferred to another client session in response to a lock transfer request from the another client session.