Execute prepared SQL

After you prepare a statement, you can execute it multiple times. statements other than SELECT statements, and SELECT statements that return only a single row, are executed with the EXECUTE statement.

The following Informix® ESQL/C code prepares and executes a multistatement update of a bank account:

EXEC SQL BEGIN DECLARE SECTION;
char bigquery[270] = "begin work;";
EXEC SQL END DECLARE SECTION;
stcat ("update account set balance = balance + ? where ", bigquery);
stcat ("acct_number = ?;', bigquery);
stcat ("update teller set balance = balance + ? where ", bigquery);
stcat ("teller_number = ?;', bigquery);
stcat ("update branch set balance = balance + ? where ", bigquery);
stcat ("branch_number = ?;', bigquery);
stcat ("insert into history values(timestamp, values);", bigquery);

EXEC SQL prepare bigq from :bigquery;

EXEC SQL execute bigq using :delta, :acct_number, :delta,
    :teller_number, :delta, :branch_number;

EXEC SQL commit work;

The USING clause of the EXECUTE statement supplies a list of host variables whose values are to take the place of the question marks in the prepared statement. If a SELECT (or EXECUTE FUNCTION) returns only one row, you can use the INTO clause of EXECUTE to specify the host variables that receive the values.