Batch Manager overview

The purpose of the Batch Manager is to process large numbers of records without user interaction. You can use it to schedule repetitive tasks such as bill generation or correspondence output to run during off hours, when the network is less busy.

Of course, the absence of user interaction also means you need to know how to set up tasks to execute properly, and you need a reliable way to determine what’s going on while tasks are running. In other words, you need to know how to talk to the Batch Manager and how it talks to you.

In fact, there are several ways to work with the Batch Manager, depending on the type of task you’re running. This section provides a general overview of the Batch Manager and the different ways of working with it.

Strictly speaking, the Batch Manager is a separate application that can be installed on the same server as Infor Public Sector or on a separate server. The Batch Manager is responsible for queuing, executing, and monitoring batch processing tasks in Infor Public Sector. There is also a Batch Manager form in Infor Public Sector, which serves as a control panel for the Batch Manager application.

To execute tasks, the Batch Manager relies on task schedules, each of which specifies a task to be run and indicates when the task is to be executed, either once or on a recurring basis. You can use several different forms in Infor Public Sector to create task schedules. The schedule records are stored in the CORE_BATCHPROCESSING.SCHEDULE table in the Infor Public Sector database.

The tasks to be executed, meanwhile, are defined in the CORE_BATCHPOCESSING.TASK table. Each task record specifies the type of task to run, such as Certify Contacts or Payment Import, and sets any parameters the task requires. Note that the term "task" is used in two slightly different senses here, meaning both a type of batch process and a specific scheduled instance of that process.

Because the tasks are intended to run automatically, the Batch Manager polls the SCHEDULE table at set intervals, checking for tasks that are ready to run. The polling interval is set when you install the Batch Manager, and can also be edited in the BatchManager configuration in the Configuration Editor. When a task is ready to be executed, the Batch Manager gets the details from the TASK table and runs the task.

If required, you can also invoke tasks manually, using either Infor Public Sector or the Batch Manager console. Note, however, that you must always create a task schedule before you can run a task, even if the task is to run immediately, because the schedule record contains required information. You can use some forms in Infor Public Sector, such as Create Bill Run, to schedule and execute tasks in a single process. It might not be apparent to the user that a schedule is being created, but behind the scenes a record is always added to the SCHEDULE table.

Although the Batch Manager is responsible for executing tasks, it doesn’t include the actual task logic. Each task is a separate piece of code within the Infor Public Sector application. A task typically queries the database for records to be processed, performs calculations, and stores the results in the database.