The steps an application takes to process a result set depend on what is known about the application.

•Known result set
The application knows the exact form of the SQL statement, and therefore the result set, at compile time. For example, the query SELECT EMPNO, EMPNAME FROM EMPLOYEE returns two specific columns.

•Unknown result set
The application does not know the exact form of the SQL statement, and therefore the result set, at compile time. For example, the ad-hoc query SELECT * FROM EMPLOYEE returns all currently defined columns in the EMPLOYEE table. The application may not be able to predict the format of these results prior to execution.

Using EDS commands, you can determine the data types to be returned and bind result data to specific columns. You can also use a cursor to navigate through a result set and to perform positioned UPDATES and DELETES.