What are "stored procedures" in SAP HANA?

Stored procedures in SAP HANA are indeed predefined SQL statements that are stored in the database. They are designed to encapsulate complex business logic and operations, allowing for efficient execution of frequent or complex tasks without the need to repeatedly write SQL code. Stored procedures can accept parameters, perform operations such as data manipulation and control flow, and return results, making them powerful tools for enhancing performance and maintaining the integrity of SQL code.

The primary purpose of stored procedures is to execute a sequence of SQL statements as a single call. This reduces the amount of data transferred between the application and the database server, thereby improving performance. They can also improve security by restricting direct access to the tables, allowing users to interact only through the stored procedures.

In contrast, temporary tables are structures used to store data temporarily while a session is active, and they do not encapsulate logic in the same way. Scripts for data visualization focus on presenting data rather than executing complex operations, and reports generated from analytic views primarily summarize data rather than perform data manipulation. This difference in functionality sets stored procedures apart as a specific tool designed for executing embedded SQL logic efficiently within the SAP HANA ecosystem.