# sp_helptext for viewing definition in SQL Server

In SQL Server, the `sp_helptext` system stored procedure is a handy tool for the developers to retrieve the definition of SQL Server objects such as stored procedure, views, triggers and user-defined functions. This is much faster than navigating through a GUI or other tools. Give it a try

```sql
sp_helptext 'procedure_name'
```

```sql
USE AdventureWorks;
GO
sp_helptext 'usp_GetOrders';
```

```sql
CREATE PROCEDURE [dbo].[usp_GetOrders]
    @StartDate DATETIME,
    @EndDate DATETIME
AS
BEGIN
    SELECT *
    FROM Sales.SalesOrderHeader
    WHERE OrderDate BETWEEN @StartDate AND @EndDate
END
```