What is the difference between a view and a stored procedure?

Short answer: View: A view is a virtual table defined by a SELECT query.

Explain a bit more

It provides a way to view and query data without modifying the underlying tables directly. Views do not support procedural logic, loops, or variables. Stored Procedure: A stored procedure is a set of SQL statements that can be executed as a single unit. It can include complex logic like loops, conditionals, and multiple queries. Stored procedures can perform INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, and other operations on the database. They can also return results. Example of a stored procedure: CREATE PROCEDURE GetEmployeeSalary(IN emp_id INT) BEGIN SELECT salary FROM employees WHERE id = emp_id; END;

Real-world example (ShopNest)

ShopNest’s SQL Server database stores customers, products, and orders. Good indexes and clear foreign keys keep checkout queries fast and safe.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.