You can use the MAXPROCTIME task attribute to set a limit on the amount of processor time that a process can use. The accumulated processor time for a process is stored in the ACCUMPROCTIME task attribute. When ACCUMPROCTIME reaches a value equal to that of MAXPROCTIME, the system discontinues the process and displays the error message PROCESSOR TIME EXCEEDED.

The main use of the MAXPROCTIME task attribute is to ensure that WFL jobs are placed in the proper job queues. For example, suppose there is a high-priority job queue that is intended for short jobs. The system administrator can use the PROCESSTIME job queue attribute to provide default and limiting values for the MAXPROCTIME task attribute of all WFL jobs that use the job queue. If you submit an extremely processor-intensive job through that job queue, the system discontinues the job when it exceeds the MAXPROCTIME value. This gives you an incentive to resubmit the job through a different job queue. For an introduction to the subject of job queues, refer to the discussion of WFL in Tasking from Programming Languages.