Are Stored Procedures Still the Performance Kings in Modern Database Systems?

Are Inline Statements Always Inferior to Stored Procedures in Modern RDBMSs?

Conventional wisdom often advocates the blanket use of stored procedures for improved performance. While stored procedures once held a clear performance advantage, the evolution of RDBMSs has raised questions about their consistent superiority.

Historical Performance Advantages

In the past, stored procedures excelled due to:

• Pre-parsed SQL: Reduced overhead compared to parsing SQL at runtime.
• Pre-generated query execution plan: Saved time and effort for complex queries.
• Reduced network latency: Eliminated sending large SQL statements over the network.
• Potential cache benefits: Facilitated faster data retrieval for frequently executed queries.

Modern Performance Considerations

• Pre-parsed SQL: While still an advantage for extensive SQL statements, modern CPUs mitigate its impact.
• Pre-generated query execution plan: Query optimizers have matured, and many RDBMSs cache query plans, reducing the benefit.
• Reduced network latency: High-speed Ethernet connections minimize the significance of network latencies.
• Cache benefits: Shared memory access for data can provide a performance edge over stored procedures.

Parameterized and Ad Hoc SQL

• Parameterized SQL: Combines the benefits of stored procedures and ad hoc SQL, allowing for caching of query plans.
• Ad Hoc SQL: Many RDBMSs have improved optimization capabilities, blurring the performance gap with stored procedures.

Conclusion

While stored procedures may still offer performance advantages in specific scenarios, the advances in modern RDBMSs have diminished their universal superiority. For typical SQL queries, parameterized or ad hoc SQL can provide comparable performance. Premature optimization by blindly using stored procedures for performance reasons should be avoided. Instead, a careful analysis of the specific database and application requirements should guide the choice between stored procedures and inline statements.

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