batch processing
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batch processing
a system by which the computer programs of a number of individual users are submitted to the computer as a single batch
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
batch processing
[′bach ‚präs·es·iŋ] (computer science)
A technique that uses a single program loading to process many individual jobs, tasks, or requests for service.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
batch processing
(programming)A system that takes a set (a "batch") of
commands or jobs, executes them and returns the results, all
without human intervention. This contrasts with an
interactive system where the user's commands and the
computer's responses are interleaved during a single run.
A batch system typically takes its commands from a disk file (or a set of punched cards or magnetic tape in the old days) and returns the results to a file (or prints them). Often there is a queue of jobs which the system processes as resources become available.
Since the advent of the personal computer, the term "batch" has come to mean automating frequently performed tasks that would otherwise be done interactively by storing those commands in a "batch file" or "script". Usually this file is read by some kind of command interpreter but batch processing is sometimes used with GUI-based applications that define script equivalents for menu selections and other mouse actions. Such a recorded sequence of GUI actions is sometimes called a "macro". This may only exist in memory and may not be saved to disk whereas a batch normally implies something stored on disk.
A batch system typically takes its commands from a disk file (or a set of punched cards or magnetic tape in the old days) and returns the results to a file (or prints them). Often there is a queue of jobs which the system processes as resources become available.
Since the advent of the personal computer, the term "batch" has come to mean automating frequently performed tasks that would otherwise be done interactively by storing those commands in a "batch file" or "script". Usually this file is read by some kind of command interpreter but batch processing is sometimes used with GUI-based applications that define script equivalents for menu selections and other mouse actions. Such a recorded sequence of GUI actions is sometimes called a "macro". This may only exist in memory and may not be saved to disk whereas a batch normally implies something stored on disk.
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