In need of a definition

[burner1991]

What is a batch process? I read about them all the time but I don't really know what one is.

[DNAunion2000]

Well, batch processing is letting data accumulate and then at a predetermined time (end of day, end of week, or what have you), typically during a slow period or after closing, processing all of that data at once as a single batch.

Came back right after posting my explanation. I happened to have a computer science book sitting next to me. Here's the definition it gives.

"... batch processing - the execution of jobs by collecting them in a single batch, then executing them without further interaction with the user." (Computer Science: An Overview: 7th Edition, J. Glenn Brookshear, Addison Wesley, 2003, p110)