Note
Access to this page requires authorization. You can try signing in or changing directories.
Access to this page requires authorization. You can try changing directories.
A stored procedure is an executable object stored in a database. Calling a stored procedure is similar to invoking a SQL command. Using stored procedures on the data source (instead of executing or preparing a statement in the client application) can provide several advantages, including higher performance, reduced network overhead, and improved consistency and accuracy.
A stored procedure can have any number of (including zero) input or output parameters and can pass a return value. You can either hard code parameter values as specific data values or use a parameter marker (a question mark '?').
Note
CLR SQL Server stored procedures created using Visual C++ must be compiled with the /clr:safe compiler option.
The OLE DB provider for SQL Server (SQLOLEDB) supports the following mechanisms that stored procedures use to return data:
- Every SELECT statement in the procedure generates a result set. 
- The procedure can return data through output parameters. 
- The procedure can have an integer return code. 
Note
You cannot use stored procedures with the OLE DB provider for Jet because that provider does not support stored procedures; only constants are allowed in query strings.