How WinBatch can be your after hours employee

We all have regular tasks that have to run once a day, week or month. Some of those tasks even have to be done after work hours. We are all human so the chance always exists that you either forget to complete those tasks or become preoccupied with other things. Don’t you wish you had a clone that could do these tasks for you? WinBatch & WinBatch Compiler is the answer to your automation needs.

WinBatch’s slogan is “Make your Windows sit up and beg”. Automate things such as maintenance tasks, daily reporting, and an array of other tasks. With scripting and programming, you can write a WinBatch script to not only run an executable but also actually use it. For example, I have a WinBatch script that runs a daily report from our CRM (customer relationship management) for our managers. All the managers have to do is read the report in the morning (which I unfortunately can’t automate with WinBatch ☺). Additionally, our CRM has tasks built into it to help maintain the database. Unfortunately, these tasks need to be manually run when users are off the system. I was able to write a WinBatch script to log everyone out of the system to run these maintenance tasks.

So how does it all work? First, you write your WinBatch script. WinBatch comes with a course and programming book so it is easy to teach yourself the programming language. After you have written the script and tested its functionality, you then compile it into an executable using the WinBatch Compiler. From there, you can place this executable wherever you want. If you wish to have a regular maintenance task running, place the executable on a PC that never locks (I have a PC in the server room) and use Windows Task Scheduler (which is built into the OS) to start the executable. When the executable runs, sit back and watch your ghost WinBatch user keystroke its way through programs. You can also use WinBatch on a one to one basis. When I changed SQL servers, I wrote a WinBatch script to change the INI file setting and ODBC driver on my users PCs. Instead of having to go to every computer individually, I directed my users in an email and told them to “sit back, relax, and watch the show”. WinBatch has been a real time saver for me.

To learn more about WinBatch, please visit their site, www.winbatch.com

– Karly Grunebach, Questeq Director of Technology