Stored Procedures:

Execution:

  1. Stored procedures may or may not return a value.
  2. They can execute a series of SQL statements or perform actions such as data manipulation or transaction management.

Usage:

  1. Stored procedures are used to encapsulate a set of SQL statements for reuse and maintainability.
  2. They can be called from client applications or other stored procedures.

Modifications:

  1. Stored procedures can include data manipulation operations, transaction control, conditional logic, and error handling.
  2. They are used for a wide range of tasks, including data retrieval, updates, and complex business logic implementation.

Examples:

  1. Inserting a new record into a database.
  2. Updating customer information.
  3. Processing orders and generating invoices.

Imagine a stored procedure as a recipe book in a kitchen. Each recipe (procedure) contains a set of instructions to prepare a particular dish (task).Stored procedures are like a series of steps that you can follow to accomplish a specific task in the database.They can do a variety of things, like fetching data, updating records, or performing calculations.Once you create a stored procedure, you can call it whenever you need to perform that task, just like following a recipe to cook a meal.

Functions:

Return Value:

  1. Functions must return a value.
  2. They calculate a value based on the input parameters and return it to the caller.

Usage:

  1. Functions are typically used to compute and return single values or perform specific calculations.
  2. They can be used within SQL queries, such as SELECT, WHERE, or JOIN clauses.

Modifications:

  1. Functions cannot perform data manipulation operations, such as INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE.
  2. They are mainly used for computations and transformations on data.

Examples:

  1. Calculating the total price of items in a shopping cart.
  2. Converting temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit.
  3. Finding the length of a string.

Let’s , think of functions as a magic machine that takes in some ingredients and gives you back a result.Functions are like mini-programs that take input, process it in some way, and then return a result.They are more focused on performing calculations or transformations on data, rather than executing a series of tasks like stored procedures.You can use functions within SQL queries to perform specific calculations or operations on data, just like using a tool to do a particular job.

In summary, functions are primarily used for computations and return a single value, while stored procedures are more versatile and can perform a variety of tasks, including data manipulation and transaction control. Depending on the requirements of your application, you may choose to use functions, stored procedures, or a combination of both to achieve your desired functionality.