Cursor and Noncursor Functions
A cursor function can fetch returned values one by one by iterating the generated result set of returned values. Such a function is an implicitly iterated function.
A function that returns only one set of values (such as one or more columns from a single row of a table) is a noncursor function.
The Return clause is valid in a cursor function or in
a noncursor function. In the following example, the Return clause
can return zero (
0) or one value in a noncursor function.
In a cursor function, however, it returns more than one row from a
table, and each returned row contains zero or one value: RETURNING INT;
In the following example, the Return clause can return
zero (
0) or two values if it occurs in a noncursor
function. In a cursor function, however, it returns more than one
row from a table, and each returned row contains zero or two values:
RETURNING INT, INT;
In both of the preceding examples, the receiving function or program must be written appropriately to accept the information that the function returns.