diff --git a/api/src/org/labkey/api/data/DbScope.java b/api/src/org/labkey/api/data/DbScope.java
index 022e7ef2870..e148df203fa 100644
--- a/api/src/org/labkey/api/data/DbScope.java
+++ b/api/src/org/labkey/api/data/DbScope.java
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 import jakarta.servlet.ServletContext;
 import jakarta.servlet.ServletException;
 import org.apache.commons.collections4.IteratorUtils;
-import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils;
+import org.apache.commons.lang3.Strings;
 import org.apache.logging.log4j.Level;
 import org.apache.logging.log4j.Logger;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.NotNull;
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@
 /**
  * Class that wraps a data source and is shared amongst that data source's DbSchemas. Allows "nested" transactions,
  * implemented via a reference-counting style approach. Each (potentially nested) set of code should call
- * {@code ensureTransaction()}. This will either start a new transaction, or join an existing one. Once the outermost
+ * {@code ensureTransaction()}. This will either start a new transaction or join an existing one. Once the outermost
  * caller calls commit(), the WHOLE transaction will be committed at once. The most common usage scenario looks
  * something like:
  * <pre>{@code
@@ -121,8 +121,27 @@
  *     transaction.commit();
  * }
  *
- * The DbScope.Transaction class implements AutoCloseable, so it will be cleaned up automatically by JDK 7's try {}
- * resource handling.
+ * }
+ * </pre>
+ * The DbScope.Transaction class implements AutoCloseable, so it will be cleaned up automatically via try-with-resources.
+ * <p>
+ * All return pathways inside the transaction must commit, or the transaction will be considered abandoned to be rolled
+ * back. There should be no further database work prior to exiting the try block after the commit. Example:
+ * <pre>{@code
+ * DbScope scope = dbSchemaInstance.getScope();
+ * try (DbScope.Transaction transaction = scope.ensureTransaction())
+ * {
+ *     // Do some work
+ *     if (condition) {
+ *         transaction.commit();
+ *         return true;
+ *     }
+ *     // Do some other work
+ *     boolean result = determineResult();
+ *     transaction.commit();
+ *     return result;
+ * }
+ *
  * }
  * </pre>
  */
@@ -869,7 +888,7 @@ public Transaction beginTransaction(TransactionKind transactionKind, Lock... loc
                         int stackDepth;
                         synchronized (_transaction)
                         {
-                            List<TransactionImpl> transactions = _transaction.computeIfAbsent(getEffectiveThread(), k -> new ArrayList<>());
+                            List<TransactionImpl> transactions = _transaction.computeIfAbsent(getEffectiveThread(), _ -> new ArrayList<>());
                             transactions.add(result);
                             stackDepth = transactions.size();
                         }
@@ -1093,7 +1112,7 @@ public boolean isTransactionActive()
         synchronized (_transaction)
         {
             List<TransactionImpl> transactions = _transaction.get(thread);
-            return transactions == null ? null : transactions.get(transactions.size() - 1);
+            return transactions == null ? null : transactions.getLast();
         }
     }
 
@@ -1242,7 +1261,7 @@ private ConnectionHolder getConnectionHolder()
         // Synchronize just long enough to get a ConnectionHolder into the map
         synchronized (_threadConnections)
         {
-            return _threadConnections.computeIfAbsent(thread, t -> new ConnectionHolder());
+            return _threadConnections.computeIfAbsent(thread, _ -> new ConnectionHolder());
         }
     }
 
@@ -1301,7 +1320,7 @@ private static void ensureDelegation(Connection conn)
                     try
                     {
                         // Test the method to make sure we can access it
-                        Connection test = (Connection) methodGetInnermostDelegate.invoke(conn);
+                        var _ = (Connection) methodGetInnermostDelegate.invoke(conn);
                         isDelegating = true;
                         return;
                     }
@@ -2000,7 +2019,7 @@ private static void createDataBase(SqlDialect dialect, LabKeyDataSource ds) thro
 
         LOG.info("Attempting to create database \"{}\"", dbName);
 
-        String defaultUrl = StringUtils.replace(url, dbName, dialect.getDefaultDatabaseName());
+        String defaultUrl = Strings.CS.replace(url, dbName, dialect.getDefaultDatabaseName());
         String createSql = "(undefined)";
 
         try (Connection conn = getRawConnection(defaultUrl, ds))
@@ -2415,8 +2434,8 @@ public <T extends Runnable> T add(TransactionImpl transaction, T task)
 
     public interface Transaction extends AutoCloseable
     {
-        /*
-         * @return  the task that was inserted or the existing object (equal to the runnable passed in) that will be run instead
+        /**
+         * @return the task that was inserted or the existing object (equal to the runnable passed in) that will be run instead
          */
         @NotNull
         <T extends Runnable> T addCommitTask(@NotNull T runnable, @NotNull CommitTaskOption firstOption, CommitTaskOption... additionalOptions);
@@ -2796,7 +2815,7 @@ private boolean isOutermostTransaction()
         /** Remove current transaction nesting and unlock any locks */
         private void decrement()
         {
-            List<Lock> locks = _locks.remove(_locks.size() - 1);
+            List<Lock> locks = _locks.removeLast();
             for (Lock lock : locks)
             {
                 // Release all the locks
@@ -2853,7 +2872,7 @@ public void increment(boolean releaseOnFinalCommit, List<Lock> extraLocks)
                 if (!_locks.isEmpty() && releaseOnFinalCommit)
                 {
                     // Add the new locks to the outermost set of locks
-                    _locks.get(0).addAll(extraLocks);
+                    _locks.getFirst().addAll(extraLocks);
                     // Add an empty list to this layer of the transaction
                     _locks.add(new ArrayList<>());
                 }
@@ -3328,7 +3347,7 @@ public void testNestedMissingCommit()
                     //noinspection EmptyTryBlock
                     try (Transaction ignored = getLabKeyScope().ensureTransaction())
                     {
-                        // Intentionally don't call t2.commit();
+                        // Intentionally, don't call t2.commit();
                     }
                     try
                     {
@@ -3359,14 +3378,8 @@ public void testMultipleTransactionKinds()
                 try (Transaction t2 = getLabKeyScope().ensureTransaction())
                 {
                     assertSame(connection, t2.getConnection());
-                    try (Transaction t3 = getLabKeyScope().ensureTransaction(new TransactionKind()
-                    {
-                        @NotNull
-                        @Override
-                        public String getKind()
-                        {
-                            return "PIPELINESTATUS";  // We can't really see PipelineStatus here, but just need something non-normal to test
-                        }
+                    try (Transaction t3 = getLabKeyScope().ensureTransaction(() -> {
+                        return "PIPELINESTATUS";  // We can't really see PipelineStatus here, but just need something non-normal to test
                     }))
                     {
                         assertTrue(getLabKeyScope().isTransactionActive());
@@ -3392,7 +3405,7 @@ public void testServerRowLock()
             Lock lockUser = new ServerPrimaryKeyLock(true, CoreSchema.getInstance().getTableInfoUsersData(), user.getUserId());
             Lock lockHome = new ServerPrimaryKeyLock(true, CoreSchema.getInstance().getTableInfoContainers(), ContainerManager.getHomeContainer().getId());
 
-            attemptToDeadlock(lockUser, lockHome, (x) -> {}, PessimisticLockingFailureException.class);
+            attemptToDeadlock(lockUser, lockHome, (_) -> {}, PessimisticLockingFailureException.class);
         }
 
         private void attemptToDeadlock(Lock lock1, Lock lock2, @NotNull Consumer<Transaction> transactionModifier, Class<? extends Throwable> expectedException)