Introduction

Before this feature was implemented in POM, Batch Schedules were immutable, in the sense that they could only be modified by changing the spreadsheet. These Schedules could only be customized with External Dependencies, Schedule Links or Inter-schedule dependencies, and so on. However, there was no way to add a new Batch Process or Batch Job through the POM UI. Additionally, the dependencies between Jobs that are stitched into the Batch Schedule as specified within the Spreadsheet, could not be modified at runtime.

These limitations are quite restrictive, and in order to overcome them, Custom Batch Entities (CBEs) were introduced in POM. A Batch Entity (Flow or Process or Job) that is added to a Batch Schedule, using either the Custom APIs or the POM UI, is a Custom Batch Entity (CBE). These CBEs are distinctly separate from the Batch Entities that are seeded as part of the Batch Schedule spreadsheet. All CBEs added are associated with the Standalone cycle by default.

In POM, the execution APIs support the execution of either a Batch Process or a Batch Flow. These entities are therefore deemed invoke-able. The Batch Monitoring screen for the standalone cycle provides an invoke-able centered view, rather than a Job centric view seen on the Nightly and Recurring cycles. The Custom APIs and the UI, provide controls for the creation of custom invoke-ables, while custom Jobs can be added as part of these custom invoke-ables.

Type	Features
Custom Batch Job	The name must end in _CJOB, to prevent naming conflicts. A Custom Batch Job cannot be added as an invokable entity. It can be added as a part of a Custom Batch Process. Can be deleted from the UI Can be of any Job Type and has attributes similar to those of the jobs seeded from spreadsheet.
Custom Batch Process	The name must end in _CPROCESS to prevent naming conflicts. Can contain Custom Jobs as well as existing seeded Jobs. The execution order of these Jobs can be modified. Can be deleted from the UI
Custom Batch Flow	The name must end in _CFLOW to prevent naming conflicts. Contains Custom Processes which can contain custom Jobs as well as seeded Jobs. Just like seeded Flows, they have a start Process and an end Process. Processes cannot be shared between Flows. However Jobs can be shared between Processes. Can be deleted from the UI.

All modifications to CBEs are audited, and will show as a corresponding audit event on the Audit Events screen.

Today, all Custom Entities execute as standalone invoke-ables. They cannot be linked with or have a dependency on a Job in the Nightly Cycle. This capability will be added in a future release.