Techniques are disclosed relating to a database recovery routine to start up a database system in response to a database failure. The database system accesses checkpoint information identifying a set of active database transactions that were active at a flush point that occurred before the database failure. As a part of the database recovery routine, the database system replays database transactions that occurred between a recovery point and the flush point. The database transactions include the set of active database transactions but exclude any committed or aborted database transactions that occurred between the recovery point and the flush point such that less than a total number of database transactions occurring between the recovery point and the flush point are replayed. The database system further replays, without excluding committed or aborted database transactions, database transactions occurring between the flush point and a recovery end point at which the database failure occurred.