Batch processing

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Batch processing is execution of a series of programs ("jobs") on a computer 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.
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 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.

Batch processing has been associated with mainframe computers 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 sessions with either text-based computer terminal interfaces or graphical user
interfaces were not widespread. Initially, computers were not even capable of having
multiple programs loaded to the main memory.
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. Similarly, Microsoft DOS and Windows systems refer to their command-scripting
language as batch files and Windows has a job scheduler.
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 and where they should be output. Batch processing is also used
for efficient bulk database updates and automated transaction processing, as contrasted to
interactive online transaction processing (OLTP) applications.

Online transaction processing

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(Redirected from OLTP)

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Online transaction processing, or OLTP, refers to a class of systems that facilitate and
manage transaction-oriented applications, typically for data entry and retrieval transaction
processing. The term is somewhat ambiguous; some understand a "transaction" in the
context of computer or database transactions, while others (such as the Transaction
Processing Performance Council) define it in terms of business or commercial
transactions.[1] OLTP has also been used to refer to processing in which the system
responds immediately to user requests. An automatic teller machine (ATM) for a bank is
an example of a commercial transaction processing application.
The technology is used in a number of industries, including banking, airlines, mailorder,
supermarkets, and manufacturing. Applications include electronic banking, order
processing, employee time clock systems, e-commerce, and eTrading. The most widely
used OLTP system is probably IBM's CICS.[citation needed]

Contents
[hide]

1 Requirements
2 Benefits
3 Disadvantages
4 See also
5 Contrasted To
6 References

7 External links

[edit] Requirements
Online transaction processing increasingly requires support for transactions that span a
network and may include more than one company. For this reason, new OLTP software
uses client/server processing and brokering software that allows transactions to run on
different computer platforms in a network.
In large applications, efficient OLTP may depend on sophisticated transaction
management software (such as CICS) and/or database optimization tactics to facilitate the
processing of large numbers of concurrent updates to an OLTP-oriented database.

For even more demanding decentralized database systems, OLTP brokering programs can
distribute transaction processing among multiple computers on a network. OLTP is often
integrated into service-oriented architecture and Web services.

[edit] Benefits
Online Transactionss Processing has two key benefits: simplicity and efficiency.
Reduced paper trails and the faster, more accurate forecasts for revenues and expenses are
both examples of how OLTP makes things simpler for businesses. It also provides a
concrete foundation for a stable organization because of the timely updating. Another
simplicity factor is that of allowing consumers the choice of how they want to pay,
making it that much more enticing to make transactions.
OLTP is proven efficient because it vastly broadens the consumer base for an
organization, the individual processes are faster, and its available 25/7.

[edit] Disadvantages
It is a great tool for any organization, but in using OLTP, there are a few things to be wary
of: the security issues and economic costs.
One of the benefits of OLTP is also an attribute to a potential problem. The worldwide
availability that this system provides to companies makes their databases that much more
susceptible to intruders and hackers.
For B2B transactions, businesses must go offline to complete certain steps of an
individual process, causing buyers and suppliers to miss out on some of the efficiency
benefits that the system provides. As simple as OLTP is, the simplest disruption in the
system has the potential to cause a great deal of problems, causing a waste of both time
and money. Another economic cost is the potential for server failures. This can cause
delays or even wipe out an immeasurable amount of data.

Systems design
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Systems design is the process or art of defining the architecture, components, modules,
interfaces, and data for a system to satisfy specified requirements. One could see it as the
application of systems theory to product development. There is some overlap and synergy
with the disciplines of systems analysis, systems architecture and systems engineering.

Contents
[hide]

1 Overview
2 Systems design: Topics
3 See also
4 References
5 Further reading

6 External links

[edit] Overview
If the broader topic of product development "blends the perspective of marketing, design,
and manufacturing into a single approach to product development[1], then design is the act
of taking the marketing information and creating the design of the product to be
manufactured. Systems design is therefore the process of defining and developing a
systems to satisfy specified requirements of the market or customer. Until the 1990s
systems design had a crucial and respected role in the data processing industry. In the
1990s standardization of hardware and software resulted in the ability to build modular
systems. The increasing importance of software running on generic platforms has
enhanced the discipline of software engineering.
Object-oriented analysis and design methods are becoming the most widely used methods
for computer system design. The UML has become the standard language used in Objectoriented analysis and design. It is widely used for modeling software systems and is
increasingly used for designing non-software systems and organizations.

[edit] Systems design: Topics

Requirements analysis - analyzes the needs of the end users or customers

Benchmarking is an effort to evaluate how current systems are used

Architectural design - creates a blueprint for the design with the necessary
specifications for the hardware, software, people and data resources. In many cases,
multiple architectures are evaluated before one is selected.

Design designers will produce one or more 'models' of what they see a system
eventually
looking like,
with ideas from
the analysis
section either
used or
discarded. A
document will

be produced
with a
description of
the system, but
nothing is
specific they
might say
'touchscreen' or
'GUI operating
system', but not
mention any
specific brands;

Computer programming and debugging in the software world, or detailed design

in the consumer,
enterprise or
commercial
world - specifies
the final system
components.

System testing - evaluates the system's actual functionality in relation to expected

or intended
functionality,
including all
integration
aspects.