A cursor is a pointer to data returned from a SELECT or DML statement.
An implicit cursor is a session cursor that is constructed and managed by PL/SQL.
PL/SQL opens an implicit cursor every time you run a SELECT or DML statement.
You can get information from its attributes.
The syntax of an implicit cursor attribute value is SQL% attribute.
SQL% attribute refers to the most recently run SELECT or DML statement.
If no such statement has run, the value of SQL% attribute is NULL.
An implicit cursor closes after its associated statement runs. Its attribute values remain available until another SELECT or DML statement runs.
The implicit cursor attributes are:
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| SQL%ISOPEN | Is the Cursor Open? |
| SQL%FOUND | Were Any Rows Affected? |
| SQL%NOTFOUND | Were No Rows Affected? |
| SQL%ROWCOUNT | How Many Rows Were Affected? |
| SQL%BULK_ROWCOUNT | How Many Rows Were Affected? |
| SQL%BULK_EXCEPTIONS | Exceptions |
SQL%ISOPEN Attribute: Is the Cursor Open?
SQL%ISOPEN always returns FALSE, because an implicit cursor always closes after its associated statement runs.