If you find yourself writing the same SQL code repeatedly, or if you’re interested in learning how to create and execute stored procedures, this article will guide you through the process. Stored procedures are a useful tool for reducing repetitive SQL code and improving efficiency.
A stored procedure is a collection of SQL statements that can be executed as a single unit. It eliminates the need to rewrite the same code multiple times and can return a set of results when executed. Parameters can also be passed to stored procedures, allowing for flexibility in adjusting values based on specific requirements.
Benefits of Using Stored Procedures
- Code Reusability:
Stored procedures allow you to write SQL code once and reuse it as needed, reducing redundancy. - Parameter Flexibility:
Parameters can be adjusted without rewriting SQL statements, making the code more adaptable to different scenarios. - Performance Optimization:
Stored procedures can improve performance by storing the query execution plan, which reduces the need for recompiling SQL statements.
Common Use Cases for Stored Procedures
- Loading Data into Fact and Dimension Tables:
Stored procedures can be used to efficiently load data into fact and dimension tables. - Auditing Table Loading:
They can help track and audit the loading of tables. - Task Maintenance in Databases, Warehouses, or Lakehouses:
Routine maintenance tasks can be automated using stored procedures. - Enforcing Business Logic and Rules:
Stored procedures can be used to apply business rules and logic within a data warehouse, lakehouse, or database. - Automating Daily Database Operations:
Daily operations can be streamlined by automating them with stored procedures.
Prerequisites
- A Fabric-enabled workspace.
- Workspace-level access with at least contributor permissions.
Once the prerequisites are fulfilled you can learn how to create and execute a stored procedure in Microsoft Fabric warehouse using T-SQL by following these steps:
Creating a Stored Procedure
1. Navigate to the Workspace and Select a Warehouse
Begin by navigating to the appropriate workspace and selecting the warehouse where you want to create the stored procedure.
2. Create a New SQL Query
Click on New SQL Query to create a blank SQL query. Alternatively, you can use the stored procedure template provided.
3. Write the T-SQL Statement
Use the following T-SQL statement to create and execute the stored procedure:
The SQL statement above performs the following actions:
- CREATE PROC [dbo].[LoadOrders] – creates a stored procedure in the dbo schema named LoadOrders.
- @MoreThan float – MoreThan is the declared parameter to adjust the values as per requirements while executing the stored procedure. The data type of the parameter is float.
- BEGIN, END – start and end of the statement.
- Drop table if exists … – if there is any table named OrdersMoreThan in the dbo schema, this line of SQL code will remove it form the schema.
- SELECT * INTO……. – returns a table named OrdersMoreThan where LineItemTotal is grater than the declared parameter.
- Exec [dbo].[LoadOrders]….. – Executes the stored procedure where the parameter @MoreThan value is 10000.
4. Verify the New Table
Upon successful execution of the query, a new table named OrdersMoreThan will be created in the dbo schema.
Conclusion
In this article, we learned how to create and execute a stored procedure, what it is, why use it, use cases of it and the prerequisites to create a stored procedure in Microsoft Fabric. In summary, stored procedure can be helpful when used correctly. It reduces the need to write code repeatedly thus ensuring scalability and reusability.
Stay tuned for more articles in this series, where we’ll explore additional experiences within Microsoft Fabric.
