ASA Programming Guide
  Embedded SQL Programming
    Using host variables

Host variable usage

Host variables can be used in the following circumstances:

• SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE statements in any place where a number or string constant is allowed.

• The INTO clause of SELECT and FETCH statements.

• Host variables can also be used in place of a statement name, a cursor name, or an option name in commands specific to embedded SQL.

• For CONNECT, DISCONNECT, and SET CONNECT, a host variable can be used in place of a user ID, password, connection name, connection string, or database environment name.

• For SET OPTION and GET OPTION, a host variable can be used in place of a user ID, option name, or option value.

• Host variables cannot be used in place of a table name or a column name in any statement.

Examples 

• The following is valid embedded SQL:

  INCLUDE SQLCA;
  long SQLCODE;
  sub1() {
     char SQLSTATE[6];
     exec SQL CREATE TABLE ...
  }

• The following is not valid embedded SQL:

  INCLUDE SQLCA;
  sub1() {
     char SQLSTATE[6];
     exec SQL CREATE TABLE...
  }
  sub2() {
     exec SQL DROP TABLE...
     // No SQLSTATE in scope of this statement
  }

• The case of SQLSTATE and SQLCODE is important and the ISO/ANSI standard requires that their definitions be exactly as follows:

  long SQLCODE;
  char SQLSTATE[6];