(1) In COBOL, one or more successive paragraphs or sections, within the Procedure Division, that direct the computer to perform some action or series of related actions.
(2) In the Integrated Language Environment (ILE) model, a set of self-contained high-level language (HLL) statements that performs a particular task and returns to the caller. Individual languages have different names for this concept of a procedure. In C, a procedure is called a function.
(3) A sequenced set of statements that may be used at one or more points in one or more computer programs, and that usually has one or more input parameters and yields one or more output parameters. (T)
(4) A routine that can be invoked using the SQL CALL statement to perform operations that can include both host language statements and SQL statements. See also external procedure, SQL procedure, routine.