A database cursor

A database cursor is an identifier associated with a group of rows. It is, in a sense, a pointer to the current row in a buffer.

You must use a cursor in the following cases:

Statements that return more than one row of data from the database server:
- A SELECT statement requires a select cursor.
- An EXECUTE FUNCTION statement requires a function cursor.
An INSERT statement that sends more than one row of data to the database server requires an insert cursor.

For more information about how to use cursors, see the HCL Informix Guide to SQL: Tutorial.