Overview of batch processes

A batch process is a process that typically runs on a scheduled basis to perform some sort of action on a set of business objects. Batch processes usually perform actions that are needed due to the passing of time. For example, the Activity Escalation batch process identifies all unescalated activities that are open past their due date and then escalates those activities.

Batch process types

Every batch process has a batch process type. This is a value from the BatchProcessType typelist. For example, the batch process type for the Activity Escalation batch process is ActivityEsc.

Running batch processes

Batch processes are typically scheduled to run on a recurring basis, such as twice every hour or once every month.

Batch process can also be run on demand. This can be done from the user interface, from a command line, from a SOAP API call, and from Cloud API.

Batch process arguments

Some batch processes let you specify arguments when you run the batch process. These arguments perform the function of input parameters.

For example, the Purge Async API Requests batch process removes stale information about API requests that were executed asynchronously. By default, the batch process removes information for asynchronous requests that are more than 7 days old. However, when running this batch process, you can include an argument that specifies a different number of days.