Editing Stored procedure (section)

{{Short description|Subroutine available to applications that access relational database management systems}}
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A '''stored procedure''' (also termed '''prc''', '''proc''', '''storp''', '''sproc''', '''StoPro''', '''StoredProc''', '''StoreProc''', '''sp''', or '''SP''') is a [[subroutine]] available to applications that access a [[relational database management system]] (RDBMS). Such procedures are stored in the database [[data dictionary]].

Uses for stored procedures include [[data validation|data-validation]] (integrated into the database) or [[access control|access-control]] mechanisms.  Furthermore, stored procedures can consolidate and centralize logic that was originally implemented in applications. To save time and memory, extensive or complex processing that requires execution of several [[SQL]] statements can be saved into stored procedures, and all applications call the procedures. One can use nested stored procedures by executing one stored procedure from within another.

Stored procedures may return [[result set]]s, i.e., the results of a <code>SELECT</code> statement.  Such result sets can be processed using [[Cursor (databases)|cursors]], by other stored procedures, by associating a result-set locator, or by applications. Stored procedures may also contain declared variables for processing data and cursors that allow it to loop through multiple rows in a table. Stored-procedure flow-control statements typically include <code>IF</code>, <code>WHILE</code>, <code>LOOP</code>, <code>REPEAT</code>, and <code>CASE</code> statements, and more. Stored procedures can receive variables, return results or modify variables and return them, depending on how and where the variable is declared.