Batch Processing
Batch Jobs are jobs that can run without end user interaction, and can be scheduled to run when resources allow it. A program takes a set of data files as input, processes the data, and produces a set of output data files. This operating environment is termed as "batch processing" because the input data are collected into batches or sets of records and each batch is processed as a unit. Batch processing is for those frequently used programs that can be executed with minimal human interaction. Batch jobs can be stored up during working hours and then executed during the evening or whenever the computer is idle. Once a batch job begins, it continues until it is done or until an error occurs. How is Batch Processing used? Databases- Batch processing is also used for efficient bulk database updates and automated transaction processing, as contrasted to interactive online transaction processing (OLTP) applications. The extract, transform, load (ETL) step in populating data warehouses is inherently a batch process in most implementations. Processing Billing- An example of batch processing is the way that credit card companies process billing. The customer does not receive a bill for each separate credit card purchase but one monthly bill for all of that month's purchases. The bill is created through batch processing, where all of the data are collected and held until the bill is processed as a batch at the end of the billing cycle. Images- Batch processing is often used to perform various operations with digital images such as resize, convert, watermark, or otherwise edit image files. Conversions- Batch processing may also be used for converting computer files from one format to another. For example a batch job may convert proprietary and legacy files to common standard formats for end-user queries and display. The opposite of batch processing is transaction processing or interactive processing. In interactive processing, the application responds to commands as soon as you enter them. |
The term "Batch Processing" originated in the days when users entered programs on punch cards. They would give a batch of these programmed cards to the system operator, who would feed them into the computer.
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