DESCRIBE statements

The DESCRIBE statements obtain information about database objects. You can obtain the following types of information with DESCRIBE statements, each of which is described separately.

Cursors
DESCRIBE CURSOR statements return information about the result set that is associated with the cursor. This information, such as column information, is put into a descriptor. For more information, see DESCRIBE CURSOR statement.
Input parameter markers of a prepared statement.
DESCRIBE INPUT statements return information about the input parameter markers in a prepared statement. This information is put into a descriptor. For more information, see DESCRIBE INPUT statement.
The output of a prepared statement
DESCRIBE OUTPUT statements return information about a prepared statement or information about the select list columns in a prepared SELECT statement. Start of changeOUTPUT is an optional keyword to indicate that the DESCRIBE statement returns information about the select list columns in a prepared SELECT statement.End of change This information is put into a descriptor. For more information, see DESCRIBE OUTPUT statement.
Procedures
DESCRIBE PROCEDURE statements return information about the result sets returned by a stored procedure. The information, such as the number of result sets, is put into a descriptor. For more information, see DESCRIBE PROCEDURE statement.
Tables
DESCRIBE TABLE statements return information about a table or view. This information is put into a descriptor. See DESCRIBE TABLE statement.