---
title: "Cursor in SQL"  
description: "In this article I am trying to explain the concept of Cursor in SQL Server."  
author: "Anonymous User"  
published: 2013-07-20  
updated: 2019-07-04  
canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/articles/1364/cursor-in-sql  
category: "database"  
tags: ["database"]  
reading_time: 2 minutes  

---

# Cursor in SQL

In this article I am trying to [explain the concept](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/158822/explain-the-concept-of-abstract-classes-and-their-significance-in-oop) of [Cursor in SQL](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/156784/what-is-cursor-in-sql-database-write-sql-command-to-create-cursor) Server.\

##### Definition:

Cursor is an object of database which is used to [retrieve data](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/159649/how-to-retrieve-data-from-object-tables-on-oracle) from result set row by row. In other words a cursor is a set of rows together with a pointer that identifies a current row. We use cursor when we need to [update records](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/158986/how-to-update-records-using-entity-framework-core) in a table row by row.

##### Cursor Life Cycle:

##### 1-Declare Cursor

A cursor is declared by DECLARE CURSOR [SQL command](https://www.mindstick.com/blog/142/categorize-sql-commands-in-sql-server). We can declare a cursor by following syntax:

```
DECLARE cur_name CURSOR

[LOCAL | GLOBAL] --define the scope of cursor

[FORWARD_ONLY | SCROLL] --define cursor movements

[STATIC | KEYSET | DYNAMIC | FAST_FORWARD] -- type of cursor

[READ_ONLY | SCROLL_LOCKS | OPTIMISTIC] --define locks

FOR select_statement -- SQL Select statement

FOR UPDATE [column1,column2,...columnn] -- columns that to be updated
```

##### \
2-Open Cursor

A cursor can be open in two way either locally or globally. Syntax for [open cursor](https://www.mindstick.com/interview/625/what-happens-when-you-say-open-cursor):

```
OPEN [GLOBAL] cur_name --by default it is local
```

3-Fetch Cursor

After opening a you can fetch cursor. Syntax for fetch cursor:

```
FETCH [NEXT|PRIOR|FIRST|LAST|ABSOLUTE n|RELATIVE n]

FROM [GLOBAL] cur_name

INTO @var1,@var2…..@varn
```

4-Close Cursor

Close statement close cursor explicitly. Syntax for close cursor:

```
CLOSE  cur_name
```

5-Deallocate Cursor

To free the [resources](https://www.mindstick.com/interview/1265/what-are-the-different-types-of-resources-through-which-cold-fusion-can-communicate) allocated by cursor we deallocate the cursor.Syntax for deallocate cursor

```
DEALLCATE  cur_name
```

Example of Cursor

```
DECLARE @FirstName varchar(50)
DECLARE @LastName varchar(50)
DECLARE cur_name CURSOR
STATIC FOR SELECT FirstName,LastName FROM user1
OPEN cur_name
if @@CURSOR_ROWS>0
BEGIN
FETCH NEXT FROM cur_name INTO @FirstName,@LastName
WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS=0
BEGIN
PRINT 'First Name:'+@FirstName+',Last Name:'+@LastName
FETCH NEXT FROM cur_name INTO @FirstName,@LastName
END
END
CLOSE cur_name
DEALLOCATE cur_name
```

---

Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/articles/1364/cursor-in-sql

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