Snowflake Cheatsheet: Stored Procedures

Stored procedures are a powerful tool that can be used to improve the efficiency and reusability of your Snowflake queries. They allow you to encapsulate complex logic into a single unit of code, which can then be called from anywhere in your database.

In this blog post, we will discuss the basics of stored procedures in Snowflake, including how to create, call, and modify them. We will also cover some of the benefits of using stored procedures, and how they can help you to improve your database performance.

What is a Stored Procedure?

A stored procedure is a named unit of code that is stored in the Snowflake database. It can be called from anywhere in the database, and it can be used to perform any type of SQL operation.

Stored procedures are often used to encapsulate complex logic into a single unit of code. This can make your queries more efficient, as you can avoid having to rewrite the same logic multiple times. Stored procedures can also help to improve the readability and maintainability of your code.

Creating a Stored Procedure

To create a stored procedure in Snowflake, you use the CREATE PROCEDURE statement. The syntax for this statement is as follows:

CREATE PROCEDURE procedure_name ([parameter_name [type] [default_value]])
AS
BEGIN
  -- Stored procedure code goes here.
END;

The procedure_name is the name of the stored procedure. The parameter_name is the name of a parameter that can be passed to the stored procedure. The type is the data type of the parameter. The default_value is the default value for the parameter.

The AS keyword is used to separate the definition of the stored procedure from the code that it contains. The BEGIN and END keywords mark the beginning and end of the stored procedure code.

Here is an example of a very simple stored procedure:

CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE delete_data(arg1 string)
    RETURNS VARCHAR
    LANGUAGE SQL
AS
 $$
    BEGIN
        DELETE FROM KODEY.KODEY_CO_UK.ARTICLES WHERE TITLE = :arg1;
  
    END;
 $$
;
CALL delete_data('HELLO');

This is slightly more complex, where we are returning a dynamic query result value as part of the procedure:

CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE delete_data(arg1 string)
    RETURNS VARCHAR
    LANGUAGE SQL
AS
 $$
    DECLARE
        result INT;
    BEGIN
        DELETE FROM KODEY.KODEY_CO_UK.ARTICLES WHERE TITLE = :arg1;
        result := (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM KODEY.KODEY_CO_UK.ARTICLES);
        RETURN 'all deleted boss!. TOTAL RECORDS:' || result;
    END;
 $$
;
CALL delete_data('HELLO');

Calling a Stored Procedure

To call a stored procedure, you use the CALL statement. The syntax for this statement is as follows:

CALL procedure_name ([parameter_value [, parameter_value]...]);

The procedure_name is the name of the stored procedure that you want to call. The parameter_value is the value of a parameter that you want to pass to the stored procedure.

Modifying a Stored Procedure

To modify a stored procedure, you use the ALTER PROCEDURE statement. The syntax for this statement is as follows:

ALTER PROCEDURE procedure_name
AS
BEGIN
  -- Modified stored procedure code goes here.
END;

The procedure_name is the name of the stored procedure that you want to modify. The AS keyword is used to separate the definition of the stored procedure from the code that it contains. The BEGIN and END keywords mark the beginning and end of the stored procedure code.

Benefits of Using Stored Procedures

There are several benefits to using stored procedures in Snowflake. These benefits include:

  • Efficiency: Stored procedures can improve the efficiency of your queries by encapsulating complex logic into a single unit of code. This can reduce the amount of time that it takes to execute your queries.
  • Reusability: Stored procedures can be reused multiple times, which can save you time and effort.
  • Readability: Stored procedures can make your code more readable and maintainable. This is because the logic of your queries is contained in a single unit of code, which makes it easier to understand and modify.
  • Security: Stored procedures can be used to delegate privileges to users. This can help to improve the security of your database.

Conclusion

Stored procedures are a powerful tool that can be used to improve the efficiency, reusability, readability, and security of your Snowflake queries. If you are not already using stored procedures, I encourage you to give them a try. You may be surprised at how much they can help you to improve your database performance.

Much of the base text of this article was generated with the help of Google Bard

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