What are batch operations?
Batch operations are repeating computing tasks that can be kicked off and left unattended until they run to completion. The term batch operations arose when punched cards were used to tell computers what to do when performing more than one program. When multiple directions were needed, these cards were run in batches.
In the database world, batch operations refers to the processing of a large number of like tasks (batch reads and batch writes are most common) instead of processing each task separately. Batch updates also fall under batch operations. Batch updates are sets of multiple update statements that are submitted to the database for processing as a batch.
Batch operations usually save compute resources and time because executing a hundred (or a million) individual reads or writes usually takes much longer than executing those operations in a batch.