Most databases provide a return value after running a stored procedure. Depending on the database implementation, this value can either be user-definable, which means that it can act similar to a single output parameter, or it may only return an integer value.
The Stored Procedure transformation captures return values in a similar manner as input/output parameters, depending on the method that the input/output parameters are captured. In some instances, only a parameter or a return value can be captured.
If a stored procedure returns a result set rather than a single return value, the Stored Procedure transformation takes only the first value returned from the procedure.
An Oracle stored function is similar to an Oracle stored procedure, except that the stored function supports output parameters or return values. In this chapter, any statements regarding stored procedures also apply to stored functions, unless otherwise noted.