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SQL in PL/SQL
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PL/SQL / SQL in PL/SQL

WHERE CURRENT OF

Learn WHERE CURRENT OF in PL/SQL through a focused explanation, a dedicated construct-specific example, an engineering boundary, and a mastery check.

10 min read • Beginner

WHERE CURRENT OF is an atomic PL/SQL topic inside SQL in PL/SQL. This lesson focuses on how the WHERE CURRENT OF construct is written, what it changes, and when it is the right tool.

Trace the example line by line. Identify the exact syntax for WHERE CURRENT OF, the input state before it runs, and the resulting value, control flow, database state, hardware behavior, or runtime effect afterward. Neighboring lessons use different constructs rather than renamed copies of this one.

Topic-specific example

plsql-03-10-where-current-of.sql
plsql Try It Live 
DECLARE CURSOR c IS SELECT id,status FROM tasks WHERE status='open' FOR UPDATE; BEGIN FOR r IN c LOOP UPDATE tasks SET status='claimed' WHERE CURRENT OF c; END LOOP; END; /
Edge case / engineering note

For WHERE CURRENT OF, test the boundary that belongs to this exact feature rather than a generic failure case. Check invalid or empty input, NULL/unknown state, numeric limits, transaction or exception behavior, synthesis/runtime constraints, ownership/permission rules, or backtracking/control-flow effects where they apply.

Content source & attribution
Original Syntaxis Content · Original Syntaxis Content

Lesson quizzes

WHERE CURRENT OF Mastery Check →
← PREVIOUS
FOR UPDATE cursor
NEXT →
Predefined exception