Sybase 12.4.2 manual Overview of procedures, Adaptive Server IQ, 229

C H A P T E R 6 Using Procedures and Batches

About this chapter	This chapter explains how you create procedures and batches for use with
	Adaptive Server IQ.
	Procedures store procedural SQL statements in the database for use by all
	applications. They enhance the security, efficiency, and standardization of
	databases. User-defined functions are one kind of procedure that return a
	value to the calling environment for use in queries and other SQL
	statements. Batches are sets of SQL statements submitted to the database
	server as a group. Many features available in procedures, such as control
	statements, are also available in batches.
	For many purposes, server-side JDBC provides a more flexible way to
	build logic into the database than SQL stored procedures. For information
	on JDBC, see Data Access Using JDBC in the Adaptive Server Anywhere
	User’s Guide.

Overview of procedures

Procedures store procedural SQL statements in a database for use by all applications.

Procedures can include control statements that allow repetition (LOOP statement) and conditional execution (IF statement and CASE statement) of SQL statements.

Procedures are invoked with a CALL statement, and use parameters to accept values and return values to the calling environment. Procedures can also return result sets to the caller. Procedures can call other procedures.

User-defined functions are one kind of stored procedure that returns a single value to the calling environment. User-defined functions do not modify parameters passed to them. They broaden the scope of functions available to queries and other SQL statements.

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