Topic – Function in Queries
Week 4 is just an extension of what you have learned in Week 3. Function are very similar to stored procedures except that they return something. There are other limitations to functions (which you should review in the required reading). Stored functions are still useful in how they can be used in queries to simplify the SELECT statement.
Reading
Required – Documentation for Stored Function – http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms186755.aspx
Required – User Discussion at Stack Overflow – http://stackoverflow.com/questions/178128/functions-vs-stored-procedures
Optional – Documentation of using Stored Functions – http://www.sqlteam.com/article/user-defined-functions
Lectures
Lecture – Getting Started with Stored Functions in SQL Server