What is the difference between stored procedures and functions in oracle

The main difference between stored procedures and functions in Oracle: stored procedures do not have a clear return type, while functions return a clear type value. Stored procedures must handle exceptions explicitly, whereas exceptions in functions can be propagated to the caller. Stored procedures are typically executed as part of a transaction, whereas functions are not transactional. A stored procedure must contain a PL/SQL block, while a function can contain a PL/SQL block or just an expression.

The difference between stored procedures and functions in Oracle

Stored procedures and functions are used in Oracle to encapsulate code and Two mechanisms to improve code reusability. Despite their similarities, there are some key differences between the two.

Main difference:

• Return type: Stored procedures do not have a clear return type, while functions return a clear type.
• Exception handling: In stored procedures, exceptions must be handled explicitly, while exceptions in functions can be propagated to the caller unhandled.
• Transactional: Stored procedures are usually executed as part of a transaction, while functions are not transactional.
• PL/SQL blocks: Stored procedures must contain a PL/SQL block, while functions can contain a PL/SQL block or just an expression.

Detailed description:

1. Return type:

• The stored procedure itself does not return anything values, but they can use OUT or IN OUT parameters to modify the parameters passed in.
• The function returns a value of a specific type, such as a number, string, or record.

2. Exception handling:

• In a stored procedure, exceptions can be handled by using the EXCEPTION block.
• In a function, exceptions will be propagated to the caller unhandled, but exception information can be encapsulated in OUT parameters.

3. Transactional:

• Stored procedures are usually executed with transactions, which means that if any operation in the procedure fails, the entire The transaction will be rolled back.
• The function itself is not transactional, but it can inherit transactionality from the transaction that calls it.

4. PL/SQL block:

• The stored procedure must contain a PL/SQL block that contains the logic of the procedure.
• A function can contain a PL/SQL block or just an expression, similar to a SQL query.

Choose stored procedures or functions:

The choice of using stored procedures or functions depends on specific needs. If you need to perform a series of operations or process a transaction, you can use a stored procedure. If you need to return a single value from a given input, you can use a function.

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