T-SQL get SELECTed value of stored procedure

Question

In T-SQL, this is allowed:

DECLARE @SelectedValue int
SELECT @SelectedValue = MyIntField FROM MyTable WHERE MyPrimaryKeyField = 1

So, it's possible to get the value of a SELECT and stuff it in a variable (provided it's scalar, obviously).

If I put the same select logic in a stored procedure:

CREATE PROCEDURE GetMyInt
AS
SELECT MyIntField FROM MyTable WHERE MyPrimaryKeyField = 1

Can I get the output of this stored procedure and stuff it in a variable?

Something like:

DECLARE @SelectedValue int
SELECT @SelectedValue = EXEC GetMyInt

(I know the syntax above is not allowed because I tried it!)

Answer 1

You'd need to use return values.

DECLARE @SelectedValue int

CREATE PROCEDURE GetMyInt (@MyIntField int OUTPUT)
AS
SELECT @MyIntField = MyIntField FROM MyTable WHERE MyPrimaryKeyField = 1

Then you call it like this:

EXEC GetMyInt OUTPUT @SelectedValue

Answer 2

there are three ways you can use: the RETURN value, and OUTPUT parameter and a result set

ALSO, watch out if you use the pattern: SELECT @Variable=column FROM table ...

if there are multiple rows returned from the query, your @Variable will only contain the value from the last row returned by the query.

RETURN VALUE
since your query returns an int field, at least based on how you named it. you can use this trick:

CREATE PROCEDURE GetMyInt
( @Param int)
AS
DECLARE @ReturnValue int

SELECT @ReturnValue=MyIntField FROM MyTable WHERE MyPrimaryKeyField = @Param
RETURN @ReturnValue
GO

and now call your procedure like:

DECLARE @SelectedValue int
       ,@Param         int
SET @Param=1
EXEC @SelectedValue = GetMyInt @Param
PRINT @SelectedValue

this will only work for INTs, because RETURN can only return a single int value and nulls are converted to a zero.

OUTPUT PARAMETER
you can use an output parameter:

CREATE PROCEDURE GetMyInt
( @Param     int
 ,@OutValue  int OUTPUT)
AS
SELECT @OutValue=MyIntField FROM MyTable WHERE MyPrimaryKeyField = @Param
RETURN 0
GO

and now call your procedure like:

DECLARE @SelectedValue int
       ,@Param         int
SET @Param=1
EXEC GetMyInt @Param, @SelectedValue OUTPUT
PRINT @SelectedValue 

Output parameters can only return one value, but can be any data type

RESULT SET for a result set make the procedure like:

CREATE PROCEDURE GetMyInt
( @Param     int)
AS
SELECT MyIntField FROM MyTable WHERE MyPrimaryKeyField = @Param
RETURN 0
GO

use it like:

DECLARE @ResultSet table (SelectedValue int)
DECLARE @Param int
SET @Param=1
INSERT INTO @ResultSet (SelectedValue)
    EXEC GetMyInt @Param
SELECT * FROM @ResultSet 

result sets can have many rows and many columns of any data type