BEGIN...END

BEGIN and END enclose a SQL Script procedure, which can include one statement or multiple statements (that is, a compound statement).

Syntax

[<label>:]

BEGIN 

	[<transactionSpecification>]

	[<declaration>; …]

	[<statement>; …]

	[<exceptionBlock>]

END [<label>]

Remarks

•

The order of the parameters in the procedure’s declaration is important. While it is conventional to list IN, then INOUT, then OUT parameters in that order, they can be intermixed.

•

IN parameters are unchangeable in the procedure (like a const parameter).

•

OUT parameters are initialized to NULL within the procedure. Setting a value into an OUT parameter assigns the value to the variable in the caller.

•

INOUT parameters are like OUT parameters that are pre-initialized by the caller. Any calling environment that does not have variables should treat these parameters as if they were a pair of IN and OUT parameters.