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# PostgreSQL Stored Procedure with INOUT Parameters

**Summary**: in this tutorial, you will learn how to create PostgreSQL stored procedures with `INOUT` parameters.

## Creating stored procedures with INOUT parameters

Sometimes, you may want to return values from [stored procedures](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/postgresql-create-procedure). To achieve this, you can use the `create procedure` statement with `INOUT` parameters.

Here's the basic syntax for creating a stored procedure with `INOUT` parameters:

```sql
create or replace procedure sp_name(
    inout parameter type, ...
)
as
$$
   -- body
$$
language plpgsql;
```

## Calling stored procedures with INOUT parameters

To call a stored procedure, you use the `call` statement without providing the `INOUT` parameters:

```sql
call sp_name();
```

If you call a stored procedure with `INOUT` parameters in an [anonymous block](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/plpgsql-block-structure), you need to pass arguments to the stored procedure call as follows:

```sql
do
$$
   declare
      v_name1 type;
      v_name2 type;
   begin
      -- call the stored procedure with inout parameters
      call sp_name(v_name1, v_name2);

      -- process v_name1, v_name2
   end;
$$;
```

## PostgreSQL Stored Procedures with INOUT parameter examples

Let's take some examples of creating stored procedures with `INOUT` parameters. We'll use the `film` table in the sample database for the demonstration:

![](https://neon.com/postgresqltutorial/film.png)

### 1) Basic PostgreSQL stored procedures with INOUT parameter example

First, create a stored procedure that counts the number of rows from the `film` table:

```sql
create or replace procedure count_film(
    inout total_film int default 0
)
as
$$
begin
    select count(*) from film
    into total_film;
end;
$$
language plpgsql;
```

Second, call the stored procedure without providing the `total_film` parameter:

```sql
call count_film();
```

Output:

```text
 total_film
------------
       1000
(1 row)
```

Third, call the stored procedure `count_film()` in an anonymous block:

```sql
do
$$
declare
   total_film int = 0;
begin
   call count_film(total_film);
   raise notice 'Total film: %', total_film;
end;
$$;
```

Output:

```sql
NOTICE:  Total film: 1000
```

### 2) Creating stored procedures with multiple INOUT parameters

First, create a new stored procedure that retrieves the film statistics including film count, total length, and average rental rate:

```sql
create or replace procedure film_stat(
   inout total_film int default 0,
   inout total_length int default 0,
   inout avg_rental_rate numeric(4,2) default 0
)
as
$$
begin
  select count(*) into total_film
  from film;

  select sum(length) into total_length
  from film;

  select round(avg(rental_rate),2) into avg_rental_rate
  from film;
end;
$$
language plpgsql;
```

Second, call the stored procedure `film_stat()`:

```sql
call film_stat();
```

Since all the parameters in the `film_stat()` stored procedure are the `inout` parameters, you don't need to pass any parameters.

Output:

```text
 total_film | total_length | avg_rental_rate
------------+--------------+-----------------
       1000 |       115272 |            2.98
(1 row)
```

## Summary

- Use the `INOUT` parameters to return values from stored procedures in PostgreSQL.

---

## Related docs (PostgreSQL PL/pgSQL)

- [Introduction](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/introduction-to-postgresql-stored-procedures)
- [Block Structure](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/plpgsql-block-structure)
- [Variables](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/plpgsql-variables)
- [Constants](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/plpgsql-constants)
- [IF-ELSE Statements](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/plpgsql-if-else-statements)
- [CASE Statement](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/plpgsql-case-statement)
- [Loop Statements](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/plpgsql-loop-statements)
- [FOR Loop](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/plpgsql-for-loop)
- [WHILE Loop](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/pl-pgsql-while-loop)
- [EXIT Statement](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/plpgsql-exit)
- [CONTINUE Statement](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/pl-pgsql-continue)
- [Cursor](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/plpgsql-cursor)
- [Function Parameters](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/plpgsql-function-parameters)
- [Function Overloading](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/plpgsql-function-overloading)
- [Function Returns Table](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/plpgsql-function-returns-a-table)
- [Returns SETOF](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/plpgsql-returns-setof)
- [Record Types](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/plpgsql-record-types)
- [Row Types](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/pl-pgsql-row-types)
- [Error Messages](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/plpgsql-errors-messages)
- [Exception Handling](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/postgresql-exception)
- [CREATE FUNCTION](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/postgresql-create-function)
- [CREATE PROCEDURE](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/postgresql-create-procedure)
- [DROP FUNCTION](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/postgresql-drop-function)
- [DROP PROCEDURE](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/postgresql-drop-procedure)
- [Introduction to Stored Procedures](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/introduction-to-postgresql-stored-procedures)
- [SELECT INTO](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/pl-pgsql-select-into)
- [ASSERT Statement](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/pl-pgsql-assert)
- [Dollar-Quoted String Constants](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-plpgsql/dollar-quoted-string-constants)