Transact-SQL is the SQL Server - enhanced version of the SQL database language. Client applications use Transact-SQL to communicate with SQL Server. Transact-SQL provides statements for creating and manipulating database objects, and for inserting, updating, and selecting data. The Transact-SQL enhancements include data integrity features and stored procedures. Stored procedures (compiled static SQL statements) allow much of an application's processing logic to be shifted from the front-end application to SQL Server. Stored procedures can contain most Transact-SQL statements, including Transact-SQL control-of-flow statements. Furthermore, stored procedures are precompiled, so the statements don't have to be parsed each time the procedure is executed.