What are stored procedures in SQL Server?

In SQL Server, a stored procedure is a collection of SQL statements that can be stored in a database and reused. Stored procedures can include data queries, data manipulation, flow control, and other logic. By using stored procedures, complex database operations can be simplified, improving database performance and security. Stored procedures can also reduce network communication costs, as they are executed on the database server without the need to transfer data from the server to the client for processing.