Batch processing

Batch solutions are ideal for processing that is time and/or state based:

• Time-based: The business function executes on a recurring basis, running at pre-determined schedules.
• State-based: The jobs will be run when the system reaches a specific state.

Batch processes are usually data-centric and are required to handle large volumes of data off-line without affecting your on-line systems. This nature of batch processing requires proper scheduling of jobs.
See quartz as one solution.

For more information on batch processing visit: "High volume transaction processing in J2EE"