The common batch container supports the transactional batch programming model in which batch applications conform to a few well-defined interfaces that allow the batch runtime environment to manage the start of batch jobs destined for the application. In the z/OS® batch container environment, this model is implemented as a Java™ object.

The transactional batch programming model provides details on how the common batch container manages the life cycle of the application and jobs that are submitted to the common batch container. Central to all common batch containers is the concept that a job represents an individual unit of work that needs to be processed.