What is the difference between function and procedure in PL/SQL?

Question

What is the difference between function and procedure in PL/SQL ?

Answer 1

Both stored procedures and functions are named blocks that reside in the database and can be executed as and when required.

The major differences are:

1. A stored procedure can optionally return values using out parameters, but can also be written in a manner without returning a value. But, a function must return a value.

2. A stored procedure cannot be used in a SELECT statement whereas a function can be used in a SELECT statement.

Practically speaking, I would go for a stored procedure for a specific group of requirements and a function for a common requirement that could be shared across multiple scenarios. For example: comparing between two strings, or trimming them or taking the last portion, if we have a function for that, we could globally use it for any application that we have.