batch processing

A defined series of tasks which are submitted to larger computers and executed only when time becomes available on the computer. This is in contrast to interactive computing, where the user accesses the computer in a conversational mode.

Batch processing is the execution of a series of programs ("jobs") on a computer without human interaction, when possible.

Batch jobs are set up so they can be run to completion without human interaction, so all input data is preselected through scripts or commandline parameters.

Batch processing has these benefits:

It allows sharing of computer resources among many users It shifts the time of job processing to when the computing resources are less busy It avoids idling the computing resources without minute-by-minute human interaction and supervision It is used on expensive classes of computers to help amortize the cost by keeping high rates of utilization of those expensive resources.

Batch processing has historically been synonymous with mainframe computers.

Batch processing has grown beyond its mainframe origins, and is now frequently used in UNIX environments, where the cron and at facilities allow for scheduling of complex job scripts.

A popular computerized batch processing procedure is printing.