Stored Procedure
A stored procedure is a precompiled collection of SQL statements and optional control-of-flow logic stored under a name in a database. It is used to encapsulate complex business logic, improve performance by reducing network traffic, and enhance security by controlling data access. Stored procedures are executed on the database server and can accept parameters, return results, and be called from applications or other procedures.
Developers should use stored procedures when they need to centralize and reuse database logic across multiple applications, optimize performance for complex queries by reducing round-trips to the database, and enforce data integrity and security policies. Common use cases include batch processing, data validation, and implementing business rules directly in the database, such as in transactional systems like banking or e-commerce platforms.