Compound statements

A compound statement groups other statements together into an executable block. Compound statements can be executed independently or be included in the definitions of database objects such as procedures, functions, methods, and triggers. There are different SQL statements for these because there are unique differences and restrictions that apply to each.

Compound statements can be either inline compound statements (formerly called dynamic compound statements) or compiled compound statements. The differences between these two statements are shown in the following paragraphs.

Inline compound statements: Inline compound statements are atomic and are defined with the BEGIN ATOMIC and END keywords, between which other SQL statements can be defined and executed. Inline compound statements can contain variable declarations, SQL statements and the subset of SQL PL statements known as inline SQL PL statements.

Compiled compound statements: Compiled compound statements are not atomic and are defined with the BEGIN and END keywords, between which other SQL statements can be defined and executed. Compiled compound statements can contain SQL statements and all SQL PL statements.

You would choose to use a compiled compound statement instead of an inline compound statement if you want to make use of the additional features available with compiled compound statements.

Compound statements are primarily useful for creating short scripts that can be executed from the Db2® Command Line Processor. They are also used to define the body of a routine or trigger.