When it comes to SQL Server interviews, there are certain questions that have become so common and repetitive that they no longer provide any valuable insights into a candidate’s skills and knowledge. One such question is: “How do you create a stored procedure? And what are the advantages of using stored procedures?”

As an experienced interviewer, I have encountered this question countless times, and to be honest, it has become quite tiresome. However, it is important to note that the concept of stored procedures has evolved over time, so it is essential to refer to the latest version of SQL Server for accurate information.

Let’s take a look at some of the advantages of using stored procedures:

• Execution plan retention and reuse: Stored procedures store the execution plan, allowing for faster query execution and improved performance.
• Query auto-parameterization: SQL Server automatically parameterizes queries within stored procedures, optimizing query execution and reducing the risk of SQL injection attacks.
• Encapsulation of business rules and policies: Stored procedures enable the encapsulation of complex business logic, making it easier to maintain and modify.
• Application modularization: By using stored procedures, you can break down your application into smaller, manageable components, improving code organization and reusability.
• Sharing of application logic between applications: Stored procedures allow for the reuse of common code across multiple applications, reducing development time and effort.
• Access to database objects that are secure and uniform: Stored procedures provide a secure and controlled way to access database objects, ensuring data integrity and consistency.
• Consistent, safe data modification: Stored procedures enforce data validation rules, ensuring that only valid and consistent data modifications are performed.
• Network bandwidth conservation: By executing stored procedures on the server side, you can minimize network traffic and improve overall performance.
• Support for automatic execution at system start-up: Stored procedures can be configured to automatically execute when the SQL Server starts, performing necessary initialization tasks.
• Enhanced hardware and software capabilities: Stored procedures can leverage advanced features and capabilities of the underlying hardware and software, improving performance and functionality.
• Improved security: Stored procedures allow for fine-grained access control, ensuring that only authorized users can execute specific operations.
• Reduced development cost and increased reliability: By utilizing stored procedures, developers can focus on application logic rather than repetitive database tasks, resulting in faster development cycles and more reliable applications.
• Centralized security, administration, and maintenance for common routines: Stored procedures enable centralized management of common routines, simplifying security, administration, and maintenance tasks.

If you are interested in creating a simple stored procedure, you can use the following script:

CREATE PROCEDURE MyFirstSP
AS
SELECT GETDATE ();
GO

To execute the above stored procedure, you can use the following script:

EXEC MyFirstSP
GO

The above stored procedure will return the current date and time as a result.

In conclusion, while the concept of stored procedures may be considered old and well-known, it is important to understand the advantages they offer in terms of performance, security, code organization, and maintenance. By leveraging stored procedures effectively, developers can enhance the overall efficiency and reliability of their SQL Server applications.