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This blog teaches you how to return values from your SQL stored procedures using two different techniques: return codes, and output parameters.
- Returning Values from Stored Procedures in SQL (this blog)
- Using Return Codes with Stored Procedures
- Using Output Parameters
This blog is part of a complete SQL tutorial. You can learn about the techniques used in this blog on our Advanced SQL training course.
Posted by Andrew Gould on 26 April 2013
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Returning Values from Stored Procedures in SQL
There are two techniques for returning values from a stored procedure: using return codes, and using output parameters. The main differences between these techniques are described in the table below:
| Technique | Description |
|---|---|
| Return code | A stored procedure can return a single value using a return code. The data type of the value must be an integer (a whole number). |
| Output parameter | A stored procedure can have many output parameters. An output parameter can use any data type. |
Output parameters are more flexible than return codes but they are a little more fiddly to use. The rest of this blog series will show you how to use each of these techniques, starting with return codes.
- Returning Values from Stored Procedures in SQL (this blog)
- Using Return Codes with Stored Procedures
- Using Output Parameters