WHENEVER

The WHENEVER statement specifies the action to be taken when a specified exception condition occurs.

Invocation

This statement can only be embedded in an application program. It is not an executable statement. It must not be specified in Java™ or REXX. See the Embedded SQL Programming topic collection for information about handling errors in REXX.

Authorization

None required.

Syntax

Read syntax diagramSkip visual syntax diagramWHENEVERNOT FOUNDSQLERRORSQLWARNINGCONTINUEGOTOGO TO:host-label

Description

The NOT FOUND, SQLERROR, or SQLWARNING clause is used to identify the type of exception condition.

NOT FOUND
Identifies any condition that results in an SQLSTATE of '02000' or an SQLCODE of +100.
SQLERROR
Identifies any condition that results in a negative SQLCODE'.
SQLWARNING
Identifies any condition that results in an SQLSTATE value where the first two characters are '01' or a warning condition (SQLWARN0 is 'W'), or that results in a positive SQLCODE other than +100.

The CONTINUE or GO TO clause are used to specify the next statement to be executed when the identified type of exception condition exists.

CONTINUE
Specifies the next sequential instruction of the source program.
GOTO or GO TO host-label
Specifies the statement identified by host-label. For host-label, substitute a single token, optionally preceded by a colon. The form of the token depends on the host language. In a COBOL program, for example, it can be a section-name or an unqualified paragraph-name.

Notes

WHENEVER statement scope: Every executable SQL statement in a program is within the scope of one implicit or explicit WHENEVER statement of each type. The scope of a WHENEVER statement is related to the listing sequence of the statements in the program, not their execution sequence.

An SQL statement is within the scope of the last WHENEVER statement of each type that is specified before that SQL statement in the source program. If a WHENEVER statement of some type is not specified before an SQL statement, that SQL statement is within the scope of an implicit WHENEVER statement of that type in which CONTINUE is specified.

SQL does support nested programs in COBOL, C, and RPG. However, SQL does not honor normal COBOL, C, and RPG scoping rules. That is, the last WHENEVER statement specified in the program source prior to the nested procedure is still in effect for that nested program. The label referenced in the WHENEVER statement must be duplicated within that inner program. Alternatively, the inner program could specify a new WHENEVER statement.

Example

The following statements can be embedded in a COBOL program.

Example 1: Go to the label HANDLER for any statement that produces an error. 

  EXEC SQL  WHENEVER SQLERROR GOTO HANDLER  END-EXEC.

Example 2: Continue processing for any statement that produces a warning. 

  EXEC SQL  WHENEVER SQLWARNING CONTINUE  END-EXEC.

Example 3: Go to the label ENDDATA for any statement that does not return data when expected to do so. 

  EXEC SQL  WHENEVER NOT FOUND GOTO ENDDATA  END-EXEC.