Every Mapp Engage system performs a broad array of tasks on the behalf of its users. Some of the tasks run in the background and can require long periods of time to complete. Tasks include recipient import, message sendout, selection calculation, report generation and exports. Users initiate tasks in many different areas of Mapp Engage. For example, a message sendout can be initiated from the ​Compose Message​ window or a new weekly import can be set up from the ​Time Based Automations Overview​ window.

The tasks are executed in the context of a Process. The progress of the tasks within the context of the process is viewed and monitored on the ​Processes Overview​ window (see Processes Overview (window)​).

In Mapp Engage, the task that a process executes is referred to as an ​Entity​. The same task (i.e. entity) can be consecutively executed in different processes any number of times. A new process is assigned for each execution of the task.

Mapp Engage divides tasks that require a longer time to run into small, uniform segments of work called ​Chunks​. Users can pause the execution of a task and resume it later. If the process is divided into chunks, Mapp Engage pauses the task when the active chunk is finished and resumes processing with the next chunk.

To facilitate the execution of complex tasks, the main process that carries out the task sometimes splits work into one or more sub-processes. Each sub-process is responsible for a certain part of the overall task. The sub-process is referred to as a ​Child Process​. The main process (i.e. the parent process or master process) coordinates and monitors the execution of the child processes it creates. The progress of tasks executed in the child processes is displayed in the Child Processes window (see Child Processes (window)​).

Depending on the type of task and the processing status of the associated process, it is possible for a user to interact with the processes on their system in the following ways:


Hint:

Although it is possible to interact with an existing process in the ​Process Overview​ window (for example, view child processes, pause, resume or cancel a process), it is not possible to delete or create a process in this window

The ​Process Overview​ window displays information about processes that have been generated by user requests in other areas of the system (for example, a message sendout that is triggered as time-based automation).