Simple Example of Cursor

What is Cursor?

A cursor is a database object used by applications to manipulate data in a set on a row-by-row basis, instead of the typical SQL commands that operate on all the rows in the set at one time.

 

In order to work with a cursor, we need to perform some steps in the following order:

1. Declare cursor
2. Open cursor
3. Fetch row from the cursor
4. Process fetched row
5. Close cursor
6. Deallocate cursor

This is the simplest example of the SQL Server Cursor. I have used this all the time for any use of Cursor in my T-SQL.  

DECLARE @AccountID INT
DECLARE @getAccountID CURSOR
SET @getAccountID = CURSOR FOR
SELECT Account_ID
FROM Accounts
OPEN @getAccountID
FETCH NEXT
FROM @getAccountID INTO @AccountID
WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0
BEGIN
PRINT @AccountID
FETCH NEXT
FROM @getAccountID INTO @AccountID
END
CLOSE @getAccountID
DEALLOCATE @getAccountID