User's Guide
PART 1. Working with Databases
Procedures and triggers store procedural SQL statements in the database for use by all applications. They enhance the security, efficiency, and standardization of databases. User-defined functions are one kind of procedure that return a value to the calling environment for use in queries and other SQL statements. Batches are sets of SQL statements submitted to the database server as a group. Many features available in procedures and triggers, such as control statements, are also available in batches.
For many purposes, server-side JDBC provides a more flexible way to build logic into the database than SQL stored procedures. For information on JDBC, see Data Access Using JDBC.
Procedure and trigger overview
Benefits of procedures and triggers
Introduction to procedures
Introduction to user-defined functions
Introduction to triggers
Introduction to batches
Control statements
The structure of procedures and triggers
Returning results from procedures
Using cursors in procedures and triggers
Errors and warnings in procedures and triggers
Using the EXECUTE IMMEDIATE statement in procedures
Transactions and savepoints in procedures and triggers
Some tips for writing procedures
Statements allowed in batches
Calling external libraries from procedures