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OPEN CURSOR

Short Reference

Other versions: 7.31 | 7.40 | 7.54

Syntax


OPEN CURSOR [WITH HOLD] dbcur FOR 
  SELECT result 

       FROM source 

       [[FOR ALL ENTRIES IN itab] WHERE sql_cond] 

       [GROUP BY
group] [HAVING group_cond] 

       [ORDER BY sort_key].

Addition

... WITH HOLD

Effect

This statement opens a database cursor for the selection defined after FOR, and associates a cursor variable dbcur with this database cursor. The result set of the selection can be read with the statement FETCH.

dbcur expects host variable declared using a specific predefined data type: cursor. The name of this host variable must be prefixed with the name of the escape character @. A database cursor dbcur that has already been opened cannot be opened again. A line of the result set is always assigned to an opened database cursor as a cursor position. After the statement OPEN CURSOR, the database cursor is positioned in front of the first line of the result set.

After FOR, the syntax of a SELECT statement can be entered which contains all the additions of the normal SELECT statement, except for INTO and APPENDING. In the addition result, the addition SINGLE also cannot be used after SELECT.

Only a limited number of database cursors can be open at the same time. An open database cursor can be closed using the statement CLOSE CURSOR. In addition, an open database cursor is closed for a database commit or a database rollback.

If a cursor variable dbcur of an open database cursor is assigned to another cursor variable or passed as a parameter, the latter is associated with the same database cursor at the same position. A cursor variable of an open database cursor can also be passed to procedures that have been called externally, to enable the database cursor to be accessed from there.


Notes

  • It is not recommended that cursor variables are assigned to each other and they should be set only using the statements OPEN CURSOR and CLOSE CURSOR.
  • If write accesses are made on a database table for which a database cursor is open, the results set is database-specific and undefined. Avoid this kind of parallel access if possible.
  • Host variables without the escape character @ are obsolete. The escape character @ must be specified in the strict modes of the syntax check from Release 7.40, SP05.

Addition

... WITH HOLD

Effect

If the addition WITH HOLD is specified, the database cursor is not closed by a database commit executed using Native SQL.

The addition WITH HOLD can be used only in reads performed on the standard database. It cannot be specified together with the addition CONNECTION.


Notes

  • The addition WITH HOLD is ignored by implicit database commits, by commits produced by the statement COMMIT WORK, or by any rollbacks that always close the database cursor.
  • A Native SQL database commit can be performed using the DB_COMMIT function module, for example.

Continue

FETCH

CLOSE CURSOR

Reading Data Through the Cursor - Example