Stored Procedure Characteristics: Deterministic vs. Non-Deterministic

Understanding Stored Procedure Characteristics: Deterministic vs. Non-Deterministic

Which one of the following characteristics of the stored procedure specifies that the stored procedure will produce the same result for the same input parameters?

a. 'DETERMINISTIC' b. 'CONTAINS SQL' C. 'NO SQL' d. 'NOT DETERMINISTIC'

Answer: a. 'DETERMINISTIC'

Explanation:

• 'DETERMINISTIC': A stored procedure marked as 'DETERMINISTIC' guarantees the same output for identical input parameters. This means that if you run the procedure multiple times with the same inputs, it will always produce the same result. This characteristic is crucial for ensuring consistent and predictable behavior, leading to improved database performance through optimized query execution and caching.

• 'CONTAINS SQL': This characteristic simply indicates that the stored procedure includes SQL statements for data manipulation or other database operations. It's a common feature for stored procedures as they often encapsulate complex SQL logic to simplify application development.

• 'NO SQL': This characteristic signifies that the stored procedure doesn't contain any SQL statements. It's used for other types of processing like calculations or data transformations.

• 'NOT DETERMINISTIC': A 'NOT DETERMINISTIC' stored procedure might produce varying results even with the same input parameters. This can depend on factors like the current state of the database or the order of statement execution. While less common, this characteristic can make consistency and reliability challenging to ensure.

In summary: The 'DETERMINISTIC' characteristic guarantees consistent output for identical input parameters, making it vital for predictable and efficient database operations.