Microsoft® SQL Server™ statements produce a complete result set, but there are times when the results are best processed one row at a time. Opening a cursor on a result set allows processing the result set one row at a time. SQL Server version 7.0 also introduces assigning a cursor to a variable or parameter with a cursor data type.

Cursor operations are supported on these statements:

CLOSE

CREATE PROCEDURE

DEALLOCATE

DECLARE CURSOR

DECLARE @local_variable

DELETE

FETCH

OPEN

UPDATE

SET

These system functions and system stored procedures also support cursors:

@@CURSOR_ROWS

CURSOR_STATUS

@@FETCH_STATUS

sp_cursor_list

sp_describe_cursor

sp_describe_cursor_columns

sp_describe_cursor_tables

See Also