Oracle SQL*Plus: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition

Name

SET CLOSECURSOR

Synopsis

The CLOSECURSOR setting controls whether SQL*Plus closes the cursor used to execute a SQL statement after the statement has executed.

Syntax

SET CLOSECUR[SOR] {OFF | ON}

Parameters

SET CLOSECUR[SOR]

Is the command, which may be abbreviated SET CLOSECUR.

OFF

Causes SQL*Plus to leave the cursor open for use by subsequent SQL statements. This is the default setting.

ON

Causes SQL*Plus to close the cursor after a SQL statement has been executed.

While you normally think of a cursor only in the context of returning data from a SELECT statement, Oracle also uses cursors to execute other SQL statements, such as DELETE, INSERT, UPDATE, etc. The same cursor can be used to execute many SQL statements, so SQL*Plus leaves it open all the time by default.