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Batch processing

 

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Batch processing


 
 

Batch processing is execution of a series of programComputer program

Most computer programs consist of a list of instructions that explicitly implement an algorithm , another form of computer ...
s ("jobJob (software)

In computing a job is a term used to refer to a single instance of a program....
s") on a computerComputer

A computer is a machine for manipulating data according to a list of instructions known as a program....
 without human interaction.

Batch jobs are set up so they can be run to completion without human interaction, so all input data is preselected through scripts or command-line parameters. This is in contrast to "online" or interactive programs which prompt the user for such input.

Benefits

Batch processing has these benefits:
  • It allows sharing of computer resources among many users and programs,
  • It shifts the time of job processing to when the computing resources are less busy,
  • It avoids idling the computing resources with minute-by-minute human interaction and supervision,
  • By keeping high overall rate of utilization, it better amortizes the cost of a computer, especially an expensive one.

History

Batch processing has been associated with mainframe computerMainframe computer

For the electro band comprising Murray Munro & John Molloy see Mainframe ...
s since the earliest days of electronic computing in 1950s. Because such computers were enormously costly, batch processing was the only economically-viable option of their use. In those days, interactive sessionsRead-eval-print loop Overview

A read-eval-print loop, also known as an interactive toplevel, is a simple, interactive computer programming environme...
 with either text-based computer terminalComputer terminal

A computer terminal is an electronic or electromechanical hardware device that is used for entering data into, and displayin...
 interfaces or graphical user interfaceGraphical user interface

A graphical user interface , is a particular case of user interface for interacting with a computer which employs graphical ...
s were not widespread. Initially, computers were not even capable of having multiple programs loaded to the main memory.

Present days

Batch processing has grown beyond its mainframe origins, and is now frequently used in UNIXUnix

Unix or UNIX is a computer operating system originally developed in the 1960s and 1970s by a group of AT&T Bell Labs e...
 environments and Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows

Microsoft Windows is a family of operating systems by Microsoft....
 too. UNIX systems uses shells and other scripting languages. DOSDOS

DOS commonly refers to the family of closely related operating systems which dominated the IBM PC compatible market between ...
 systems uses batch files powered by COMMAND.COMCOMMAND.COM

COMMAND.COM is the name for the default operating system shell for DOS and 16/32bits versions of Windows....
, Microsoft Windows has cmd.exe, Windows Script HostWindows Script Host

The Microsoft Windows Script Host is distributed and installed by default on Windows 98 and later versions of Microsoft Wind...
 and advanced Windows PowerShellWindows PowerShell

Windows PowerShell, previously Microsoft Shell or MSH is a command line interface shell and scripting language p...
.

Job scheduling

UNIX utilizes cronCrontab

The crontab command, found in Unix and Unix-like operating systems, is used to schedule commands to be executed periodically...
 and at facilities allow for scheduling of complex job scripts.
Windows has a job schedulerFacts About Job scheduler

A job scheduler is a software application that is in charge of unattended background executions, commonly known as batch pro...
. Most high-performance computingHigh-performance computing

The term high performance computing refers to the use of supercomputers and computer clusters, that is, computing systems co...
 clusters uses batch processing to maximize cluster usage.

Printing

A popular computerized batch processing procedure is printing. This normally involves the operator selecting the documents they need printed and indicating to the batch printing software when, where they should be output and priority of the print jobPrint job

In computing, a print job is a file or set of files that has been submitted to be printed....
. Then the job is sended to the print queue from where printing daemon sends them to the printer.

Databases

Batch processing is also used for efficient bulk database updates and automated transaction processingTransaction processing

In computer science, transaction processing is information processing that is divided into individual, indivisible operation...
, as contrasted to interactive online transaction processingOnline transaction processing

Online Transaction Processing is a class of program that facilitates and manages transaction-oriented applications, typicall...
 (OLTP) applications.

See also

  • Batch-queuing system for schedulers that plan the execution of batch jobs
  • Job Processing CycleJob processing cycle

    In mainframe operating systems, when a job is submitted, the operating system takes the job through a series of steps known as the...
     for detailed description of batch processing in the mainframe field
  • BatchPipesBatchPipes

    BatchPipes is a batch job processing utility designed for the IBM z/OS operating system....
     for utility that increases batch performance