What is the primary purpose of using Batch Apex in Salesforce?

The primary purpose of using Batch Apex in Salesforce is to perform asynchronous data processing for large data sets. Batch Apex allows developers to process records in manageable chunks, enabling them to handle operations that may exceed governor limits in a single transaction. This is particularly beneficial for processing large volumes of data without running into resource constraints that would typically apply to synchronous operations.

By using Batch Apex, developers can create jobs that process records in batches, often as small as 200 or as large as 2,000 records. This method of processing not only allows for efficient handling of large data sets but also ensures that system resources are managed effectively, which is essential when dealing with operations that could impact performance or responsiveness.

In contrast, processing small data sets synchronously or limiting processed records could lead to performance bottlenecks or inefficiencies. Enhancing Visualforce page performance is also outside the primary scope of Batch Apex, as its main focus is on running background jobs for data processing rather than user interface optimization.