Imports System.Data.SqlClient
Imports System.Data

Private m_dbconnection As New SqlConnection
Dim dbCommand As New SqlCommand

dbCommand.CommandText = sql
dbCommand.Connection = m_dbconnection
dbCommand.CommandType = Data.CommandType.StoredProcedure
dbCommand.CommandTimeout = CommandTimeout

'Derive the parameters from the stored procedure

SqlCommandBuilder.DeriveParameters(dbCommand)

Dim cmdCount As Integer
'start at 1 because @RETURN_VALUE is the first param for any stored 'procedure that has params in mssql server

For cmdCount = 1 To dbCommand.Parameters.Count - 1
                   
   If (dbCommand.Parameters(cmdCount).Direction = ParameterDirection.Input) Then
                       
 dbCommand.Parameters(cmdCount).Value = 'assign your param
                       
   ElseIf (dbCommand.Parameters(cmdCount).Direction = ParameterDirection.InputOutput) _
                    Or (dbCommand.Parameters(cmdCount).Direction = ParameterDirection.Output) Then
                        dbCommand.Parameters(cmdCount).Value = 'assign your param a default value - must do for all vars, even OUTPUT
  End If

Next

'now that the params are assigned.. let's execute and get the output 'results
'assume the sp does not return a resultset

Dim m_rows_affected as Integer
m_rows_affected = dbCommand.ExecuteNonQuery()

'use your own scheme to grab the parameter values, but here's the skeleton code for one parameter, @PARAM1 is an output param

Console.WriteLine(cmd.Parameters("@PARAM1).ToString())

'Viola.. no need to create extra objects, just execute and assign