Creating a simple stored procedure

(CREATE PROCEDURE)

Overview
As mentioned in the tutorial overview a stored procedure is nothing more than stored SQL
code that you would like to use over and over again. In this example we will look at
creating a simple stored procedure.

Explanation
Before you create a stored procedure you need to know what your end result is, whether
you are selecting data, inserting data, etc..
In this simple example we will just select all data from the Person.Address table that is
stored in the AdventureWorks database.
So the simple T-SQL code would be as follows which will return all rows from this table.
SELECT * FROM AdventureWorks.Person.Address
To create a stored procedure to do this the code would look like this:
CREATE PROCEDURE uspGetAddress
AS
SELECT * FROM AdventureWorks.Person.Address
GO
To call the procedure to return the contents from the table specified, the code would be:
EXEC uspGetAddress
--or just simply
uspGetAddress

When creating a stored procedure you can either use CREATE PROCEDURE or CREATE
PROC. After the stored procedure name you need to use the keyword "AS" and then the
rest is just the regular SQL code that you would normally execute.
On thing to note is that you cannot use the keyword "GO" in the stored procedure. Once
the SQL Server compiler sees "GO" it assumes it is the end of the batch.
Also, you can not change database context within the stored procedure such as using "USE
dbName" the reason for this is because this would be a separate batch and a stored
procedure is a collection of only one batch of statements

How to create a SQL Server stored procedure with

parameters
Overview
The real power of stored procedures is the ability to pass parameters and have the stored
procedure handle the differing requests that are made. In this topic we will look at passing
parameter values to a stored procedure.

Explanation
Just like you have the ability to use parameters with your SQL code you can also setup your
stored procedures to except one or more parameter values.

One Parameter
In this example we will query the Person.Address table from the AdventureWorks database,
but instead of getting back all records we will limit it to just a particular city. This example
assumes there will be an exact match on the City value that is passed.
CREATE PROCEDURE uspGetAddress @City nvarchar(30)
AS
SELECT *
FROM AdventureWorks.Person.Address
WHERE City = @City
GO
To call this stored procedure we would execute it as follows:
EXEC uspGetAddress @City = 'New York'
We can also do the same thing, but allow the users to give us a starting point to search the
data. Here we can change the "=" to a LIKE and use the "%" wildcard.
CREATE PROCEDURE uspGetAddress @City nvarchar(30)
AS
SELECT *
FROM AdventureWorks.Person.Address
WHERE City LIKE @City + '%'
GO

In both of the proceeding examples it assumes that a parameter value will always be
passed. If you try to execute the procedure without passing a parameter value you will get
an error message such as the following:

Msg 201, Level 16, State 4, Procedure uspGetAddress, Line 0

Procedure or function 'uspGetAddress' expects parameter '@City', which was not supplied.

Default Parameter Values

In most cases it is always a good practice to pass in all parameter values, but sometimes it
is not possible. So in this example we use the NULL option to allow you to not pass in a
parameter value. If we create and run this stored procedure as is it will not return any
data, because it is looking for any City values that equal NULL.
CREATE PROCEDURE uspGetAddress @City nvarchar(30) = NULL
AS
SELECT *
FROM AdventureWorks.Person.Address
WHERE City = @City
GO
We could change this stored procedure and use the ISNULL function to get around this. So
if a value is passed it will use the value to narrow the result set and if a value is not
passed it will return all records.
CREATE PROCEDURE uspGetAddress @City nvarchar(30) = NULL
AS
SELECT *
FROM AdventureWorks.Person.Address
WHERE City = ISNULL(@City,City)
GO

Multiple Parameters
Setting up multiple parameters is very easy to do. You just need to list each parameter and
the data type separated by a comma as shown below.
CREATE PROCEDURE uspGetAddress @City nvarchar(30) = NULL, @AddressLine1
nvarchar(60) = NULL
AS
SELECT *
FROM AdventureWorks.Person.Address
WHERE City = ISNULL(@City,City)
AND AddressLine1 LIKE '%' + ISNULL(@AddressLine1 ,AddressLine1) + '%'
GO

To execute this you could do any of the following:

EXEC uspGetAddress @City = 'Calgary'
--or
EXEC uspGetAddress @City = 'Calgary', @AddressLine1 = 'A'
--or
EXEC uspGetAddress @AddressLine1 = 'Acardia'
-- etc...

Returning stored procedure parameter values to a

calling stored procedure
(OUTPUT)

Overview
In a previous topic we discussed how to pass parameters into a stored procedure, but
another option is to pass parameter values back out from a stored procedure. One option
for this may be that you call another stored procedure that does not return any data, but
returns parameter values to be used by the calling stored procedure.

Explanation
Setting up output paramters for a stored procedure is basically the same as setting up input
parameters, the only difference is that you use the OUTPUT clause after the parameter
name to specify that it should return a value. The output clause can be specified by either
using the keyword "OUTPUT" or just "OUT".

Simple Output
CREATE PROCEDURE uspGetAddressCount @City nvarchar(30), @AddressCount int
OUTPUT
AS
SELECT @AddressCount = count(*)
FROM AdventureWorks.Person.Address
WHERE City = @City
Or it can be done this way:
CREATE PROCEDURE uspGetAddressCount @City nvarchar(30), @AddressCount int
OUT
AS
SELECT @AddressCount = count(*)
FROM AdventureWorks.Person.Address

WHERE City = @City

To call this stored procedure we would execute it as follows. First we are going to declare a
variable, execute the stored procedure and then select the returned valued.
DECLARE @AddressCount int
EXEC uspGetAddressCount @City = 'Calgary', @AddressCount = @AddressCount
OUTPUT
SELECT @AddressCount
This can also be done as follows, where the stored procedure parameter names are not
passed.
DECLARE @AddressCount int
EXEC uspGetAddressCount 'Calgary', @AddressCount OUTPUT
SELECT @AddressCount

Using try catch in SQL Server stored procedures

(TRY...CATCH)

Overview
A great new option that was added in SQL Server 2005 was the ability to use the Try..Catch
paradigm that exists in other development languages. Doing error handling in SQL Server
has not always been the easiest thing, so this option definitely makes it much easier to code
for and handle errors.

Explanation
If you are not familiar with the Try...Catch paradigm it is basically two blocks of code with
your stored procedures that lets you execute some code, this is the Try section and if there
are errors they are handled in the Catch section.
Let's take a look at an example of how this can be done. As you can see we are using a
basic SELECT statement that is contained within the TRY section, but for some reason if this
fails it will run the code in the CATCH section and return the error information.
CREATE PROCEDURE uspTryCatchTest
AS
BEGIN TRY
SELECT 1/0

END TRY
BEGIN CATCH
SELECT ERROR_NUMBER() AS ErrorNumber
,ERROR_SEVERITY() AS ErrorSeverity
,ERROR_STATE() AS ErrorState
,ERROR_PROCEDURE() AS ErrorProcedure
,ERROR_LINE() AS ErrorLine
,ERROR_MESSAGE() AS ErrorMessage;
END CATCH

Using comments in a SQL Server stored procedure

Overview
One very helpful thing to do with your stored procedures is to add comments to your code.
This helps you to know what was done and why for future reference, but also helps other
DBAs or developers that may need to make modifications to the code.
Explanation
SQL Server offers two types of comments in a stored procedure; line comments and block
comments. The following examples show you how to add comments using both
techniques. Comments are displayed in green in a SQL Server query window.
Line Comments
To create line comments you just use two dashes "--" in front of the code you want to
comment. You can comment out one or multiple lines with this technique.
In this example the entire line is commented out.
-- this procedure gets a list of addresses based
-- on the city value that is passed
CREATE PROCEDURE uspGetAddress @City nvarchar(30)
AS
SELECT *
FROM AdventureWorks.Person.Address
WHERE City = @City
GO
This next example shows you how to put the comment on the same line.
-- this procedure gets a list of addresses based on the city value that is
passed

CREATE PROCEDURE uspGetAddress @City nvarchar(30)

AS
SELECT *
FROM AdventureWorks.Person.Address
WHERE City = @City -- the @City parameter value will narrow the search
criteria
GO
Block Comments
To create block comments the block is started with "/*" and ends with "*/".
within that block will be a comment section.

Anything

/*
-this procedure gets a list of addresses based
on the city value that is passed
-this procedure is used by the HR system
*/
CREATE PROCEDURE uspGetAddress @City nvarchar(30)
AS
SELECT *
FROM AdventureWorks.Person.Address
WHERE City = @City
GO
Combining Line and Block Comments
You can also use both types of comments within a stored procedure.
/*
-this procedure gets a list of addresses based
on the city value that is passed
-this procedure is used by the HR system
*/
CREATE PROCEDURE uspGetAddress @City nvarchar(30)
AS
SELECT *
FROM AdventureWorks.Person.Address
WHERE City = @City -- the @City parameter value will narrow the search
criteria
GO

Naming conventions for SQL Server stored

procedures

Overview
One good thing to do for all of your SQL Server objects is to come up with a naming
convention to use. There are not any hard and fast rules, so this is really just a guideline on
what should be done.
Explanation
SQL Server uses object names and schema names to find a particular object that it needs to
work with. This could be a table, stored procedure, function ,etc...
It is a good practice to come up with a standard naming convention for you objects
including stored procedures.

Do not use sp_ as a prefix

One of the things you do not want to use as a standard is "sp_". This is a standard naming
convention that is used in the master database. If you do not specify the database where
the object is, SQL Server will first search the master database to see if the object exists
there and then it will search the user database. So avoid using this as a naming convention.

Standardize on a Prefix
It is a good idea to come up with a standard prefix to use for your stored procedures. As
mentioned above do not use "sp_", so here are some other options.

usp_

sp

usp

etc...

To be honest it does not really matter what you use. SQL Server will figure out that it is a
stored procedure, but it is helpful to differentiate the objects, so it is easier to manage.
So a few examples could be:

spInsertPerson

uspInsertPerson

usp_InsertPerson

InsertPerson

Again this is totally up to you, but some standard is better than none.

Naming Stored Procedure Action

I liked to first give the action that the stored procedure takes and then give it a name
representing the object it will affect.
So based on the actions that you may take with a stored procedure, you may use:

Insert

Delete

Update

Select

Get

Validate

etc...

So here are a few examples:

uspInsertPerson

uspGetPerson

spValidatePerson

SelectPerson

etc...

Another option is to put the object name first and the action second, this way all of the
stored procedures for an object will be together.

uspPersonInsert

uspPersonDelete

uspPersonGet

etc...

Again, this does not really matter what action words that you use, but this will be helpful to
classify the behavior characteristics.

Naming Stored Procedure Object

The last part of this is the object that you are working with. Some of these may be real
objects like tables, but others may be business processes. Keep the names simple, but
meaningful. As your database grows and you add more and more objects you will be glad
that you created some standards.
So some of these may be:

uspInsertPerson - insert a new person record

uspGetAccountBalance - get the balance of an account

uspGetOrderHistory - return list of orders

Schema Names

A
schema is the a collection of objects, so basically just a
container. This is useful if you want to keep all utility like objects together or have
Another thing to consider is the schema that you will use when saving the objects.

some objects that are HR related, etc...

This logical grouping will help you differentiate the objects further and allow you to focus on
a group of objects.
Here are some examples of using a schema:

HR.uspGetPerson

HR.uspInsertPerson

UTIL.uspGet

UTIL.uspGetLastBackupDate

etc...

To create a new schema you use the CREATE SCHEMA command

Here is a simple example to create a new schema called "HR" and giving authorization to
this schema to "DBO".

CREATE SCHEMA [HumanResources] AUTHORIZATION [dbo]

Putting It All Together

So you basically have four parts that you should consider when you come up with a naming
convention:

Schema
Prefix
Action
Object
Take the time to think through what makes the most sense and try to stick to your
conventions.

Reducing amount of network data for SQL Server

stored procedures
(SET NOCOUNT ON)
Overview
There are many tricks that can be used when you write T-SQL code. One of these is to
reduce the amount of network data for each statement that occurs within your stored
procedures. Every time a SQL statement is executed it returns the number of rows that
were affected. By using "SET NOCOUNT ON" within your stored procedure you can shut off
these messages and reduce some of the traffic.
Explanation
As mentioned above there is not really any reason to return messages about what is
occuring within SQL Server when you run a stored procedure. If you are running things

from a query window, this may be useful, but most end users that run stored procedures
through an application would never see these messages.
You can still use @@ROWCOUNT to get the number of rows impacted by a SQL statement,
so turning SET NOCOUNT ON will not change that behavior.
Not using SET NOCOUNT ON
Here is an example without using SET NOCOUNT ON:
-- not using SET NOCOUNT ON
CREATE PROCEDURE uspGetAddress @City nvarchar(30)
AS
SELECT *
FROM AdventureWorks.Person.Address
WHERE City = @City
GO
The messages that are returned would be similar to this:
(23 row(s) affected)
Using SET NOCOUNT ON
This example uses the SET NOCOUNT ON as shown below. It is a good practice to put this
at the beginning of the stored procedure.
-- using SET NOCOUNT ON
CREATE PROCEDURE uspGetAddress @City nvarchar(30)
AS
SET NOCOUNT ON
SELECT *
FROM AdventureWorks.Person.Address
WHERE City = @City
GO
The messages that are returned would be similar to this:
Command(s) completed successfully.
Using SET NOCOUNT ON and @@ROWCOUNT
This example uses SET NOCOUNT ON, but will still return the number of rows impacted by
the previous statement. This just shows that this still works.
-- not using SET NOCOUNT ON
CREATE PROCEDURE uspGetAddress @City nvarchar(30)

AS
SET NOCOUNT ON
SELECT *
FROM AdventureWorks.Person.Address
WHERE City = @City
PRINT @@ROWCOUNT
GO
The messages that are returned would be similar to this:
23
SET NOCOUNT OFF
If you wanted to turn this behavior off, you would just use the command "SET NOCOUNT
OFF".

Deleting a SQL Server stored procedure

(DROP PROCEDURE)
Overview
In addition to creating stored procedures there is also the need to delete stored
procedures. This topic shows you how you can delete stored procedures that are no longer
needed.
Explanation
The syntax is very straightforward to drop a stored procedure, here are some examples.
Dropping Single Stored Procedure
To drop a single stored procedure you use the DROP PROCEDURE or DROP PROC command
as follows.
DROP PROCEDURE uspGetAddress
GO
-- or
DROP PROC uspGetAddress
GO
-- or
DROP PROC dbo.uspGetAddress -- also specify the schema
Dropping Multiple Stored Procedures

To drop multiple stored procedures with one command you specify each procedure
separated by a comma as shown below.
DROP PROCEDURE uspGetAddress, uspInsertAddress, uspDeleteAddress
GO
-- or
DROP PROC uspGetAddress, uspInsertAddress, uspDeleteAddress
GO

Modifying an existing SQL Server stored procedure

(ALTER PROCEDURE)
Overview
When you first create your stored procedures it may work as planned, but how to do you
modify an existing stored procedure. In this topic we look at the ALTER PROCEDURE
command and it is used.
Explanation
Modifying or ALTERing a stored procedure is pretty simple. Once a stored procedure has
been created it is stored within one of the system tables in the database that is was created
in. When you modify a stored procedure the entry that was originally made in the system
table is replaced by this new code. Also, SQL Server will recompile the stored procedure the
next time it is run, so your users are using the new logic. The command to modify an
existing stored procedure is ALTER PROCEDURE or ALTER PROC.
Modifying an Existing Stored Procedure
Let's say we have the following existing stored procedure: This allows us to do an exact
match on the City.
CREATE PROCEDURE uspGetAddress @City nvarchar(30)
AS
SELECT *
FROM AdventureWorks.Person.Address
WHERE City = @City
GO
Let's say we want to change this to do a LIKE instead of an equals.
To change the stored procedure and save the updated code you would use the ALTER
PROCEDURE command as follows.
ALTER PROCEDURE uspGetAddress @City nvarchar(30)

AS
SELECT *
FROM AdventureWorks.Person.Address
WHERE City LIKE @City + '%'
GO
Now the next time that the stored procedure is called by an end user it will use this new
logic.

SQL Server Stored Procedure

(Introduction)
Overview
A stored procedure is nothing more than prepared SQL code that you save so you can reuse
the code over and over again. So if you think about a query that you write over and over
again, instead of having to write that query each time you would save it as a stored
procedure and then just call the stored procedure to execute the SQL code that you saved
as part of the stored procedure.
In addition to running the same SQL code over and over again you also have the ability to
pass parameters to the stored procedure, so depending on what the need is the stored
procedure can act accordingly based on the parameter values that were passed.
Take a look through each of these topics to learn how to get started with stored procedure
development for SQL Server.
You can either use the outline on the left or click on the arrows to the right or below to scroll
through each of these topics.