---
title: "ALTER PROCEDURE"
source: https://cloudberry.apache.org/docs/sql-stmts/alter-procedure
---

# ALTER PROCEDURE

Changes the definition of a procedure.

## Synopsis

```sql
ALTER PROCEDURE <name> [ ( [ [<argmode>] [<argname>] <argtype> [, ...] ] ) ] 
   <action> [, ... ] [RESTRICT]

ALTER PROCEDURE <name> [ ( [ [<argmode>] [<argname>] <argtype> [, ...] ] ) ]
   RENAME TO <new_name>

ALTER PROCEDURE <name> [ ( [ [<argmode>] [<argname>] <argtype> [, ...] ] ) ]
   OWNER TO { <new_owner> | CURRENT_USER | SESSION_USER }

ALTER PROCEDURE <name> [ ( [ [<argmode>] [<argname>] <argtype> [, ...] ] ) ]
   SET SCHEMA <new_schema>

ALTER PROCEDURE <name> [ ( [ [<argmode>] [<argname>] <argtype> [, ...] ] ) ]
   DEPENDS ON EXTENSION <extension_name>

-- where <action> is one of:

    { [EXTERNAL] SECURITY INVOKER | [EXTERNAL] SECURITY DEFINER }
    SET <configuration_parameter> { TO | = } { <value> | DEFAULT }
    SET <configuration_parameter> FROM CURRENT
    RESET <configuration_parameter>
    RESET ALL
```

## Description

`ALTER PROCEDURE` changes the definition of a procedure.

You must own the procedure to use `ALTER PROCEDURE`. To change a procedure's schema, you must also have `CREATE` privilege on the new schema. To alter the owner, you must also be a direct or indirect member of the new owning role, and that role must have `CREATE` privilege on the procedure's schema. (These restrictions enforce that altering the owner doesn't do anything you couldn't do by dropping and recreating the procedure. However, a superuser can alter ownership of any procedure anyway.)

## Parameters

**`name`**

The name (optionally schema-qualified) of an existing procedure. If no argument list is specified, the name must be unique in its schema.

**`argmode`**

The mode of an argument: `IN` or `VARIADIC`. If omitted, the default is `IN`.

**`argname`**

The name of an argument. Note that `ALTER PROCEDURE` does not actually pay any attention to argument names, since only the argument data types are needed to determine the function's identity.

**`argtype`**

The data type(s) of the procedure's arguments (optionally schema-qualified), if any.

**`new_name`**

The new name of the procedure.

**`new_owner`**

The new owner of the procedure. Note that if the procedure is marked `SECURITY DEFINER`, it will subsequently run as the new owner.

**`new_schema`**

The new schema for the procedure.

**`extension_name`**

The name of the extension that the procedure is to depend on.

**`[ EXTERNAL ] SECURITY INVOKER`**<br />
**`[ EXTERNAL ] SECURITY DEFINER`**

Change whether the procedure is a security definer or not. The key word `EXTERNAL` is ignored for SQL conformance. See [CREATE PROCEDURE](/docs/sql-stmts/create-procedure.md) for more information about this capability.

**`configuration_parameter`**<br />
**`value`**

Set or change the value of a configuration parameter when the procedure is called. If value is `DEFAULT` or, equivalently, `RESET` is used, the procedure-local setting is removed, and the procedure runs with the value present in its environment. Use `RESET ALL` to clear all procedure-local settings. `SET FROM CURRENT` saves the value of the parameter that is current when `ALTER PROCEDURE` is run as the value to be applied when the procedure is entered.

See [SET](/docs/sql-stmts/set.md) for more information about allowed parameter names and values.

**`RESTRICT`**

Ignored for conformance with the SQL standard.

## Notes

Apache Cloudberry has limitations on the use of functions defined as `STABLE` or `VOLATILE`. See [CREATE FUNCTION](/docs/sql-stmts/create-function.md) for more information.

## Examples

To rename the procedure `insert_data` with two arguments of type `integer` to `insert_record`:

```sql
ALTER PROCEDURE insert_data(integer, integer) RENAME TO insert_record;
```

To change the owner of the procedure `insert_data` with two arguments of type `integer` to `joe`:

```sql
ALTER PROCEDURE insert_data(integer, integer) OWNER TO joe;
```

To change the schema of the procedure `insert_data` with two arguments of type `integer` to `accounting`:

```sql
ALTER PROCEDURE insert_data(integer, integer) SET SCHEMA accounting;
```

To mark the procedure `insert_data(integer, integer)` as being dependent on the extension `myext`:

```sql
ALTER PROCEDURE insert_data(integer, integer) DEPENDS ON EXTENSION myext;
```

To adjust the search path that is automatically set for a procedure:

```sql
ALTER PROCEDURE check_password(text) SET search_path = admin, pg_temp;
```

To disable automatic setting of `search_path` for a procedure:

```sql
ALTER PROCEDURE check_password(text) RESET search_path;
```

The procedure will now execute with whatever search path is used by its caller.

## Compatibility

This statement is partially compatible with the `ALTER PROCEDURE` statement in the SQL standard. The standard allows more properties of a procedure to be modified, but does not provide the ability to rename a procedure, make a procedure a security definer, attach configuration parameter values to a procedure, or change the owner, schema, or volatility of a procedure. The standard also requires the `RESTRICT` key word, which is optional in Apache Cloudberry.

## See also

[CREATE PROCEDURE](/docs/sql-stmts/create-procedure.md), [DROP PROCEDURE](/docs/sql-stmts/drop-procedure.md)