Beginning Microsoft SQL Server 2008 ... - S3 Tech Training

Summary
Wow! That’s a lot to have to take in for one chapter. Still, this is among the most important chapters in
the book in terms of being able to function as a developer in SQL Server.
Sprocs are the backbone of code in SQL Server. We can create reusable code and get improved performance
and flexibility at the same time. We can use a variety of programming constructs that you might be
familiar with from other languages, but sprocs aren’t meant for everything.
Pros to sprocs include:
❑ Usually better performance
❑ Possible use as a security insulation layer (control how a database is accessed and updated)
❑ Reusable code
❑ Compartmentalization of code (can encapsulate business logic)
❑ Flexible execution depending on dynamics established at runtime
Cons to sprocs include:
Chapter 12: Stored Procedures
❑ Not portable across platforms (Oracle, for example, has a completely different kind of implementation
of sprocs)
❑ May get locked into the wrong execution plan in some circumstances (actually hurting
performance)
Sprocs are not the solution to everything, but they are still the cornerstones of SQL Server programming.
In the next chapter, we’ll take a look at the sprocs’ very closely related cousin — the UDF.
409