SSC-PRF-0005

The statement below has usages of nested cursors

Some parts of the output code are omitted for clarity reasons.

Severity

None

Description

This warning is used to indicate that the statement has usages of nested cursors. A cursor is a database object that allows traversing and manipulating result sets in a database. When nested cursors are used, it means that one cursor is nested inside the loop of another cursor.

The use of nested cursors can have a significant impact on performance, especially with large result sets. Each cursor operation requires a round trip to the database server, which can increase overhead and slow down execution.

Code examples

SQL Server

Input

IN -> SqlServer_01.sql

CREATE OR ALTER PROCEDURE procedureSample
AS
BEGIN
  DECLARE
    @outer_category_id INT,
    @outer_category_name NVARCHAR(50),
    @inner_product_name NVARCHAR(50);

  -- Define the outer cursor
  DECLARE outer_cursor CURSOR FOR 
    SELECT category_id, category_name FROM categories;

  -- Open the outer cursor
  OPEN @outer_cursor;

  -- Fetch the first row from the outer cursor
  FETCH NEXT FROM outer_cursor INTO @outer_category_id, @outer_category_name;

  -- Start the outer loop
  WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0
  BEGIN

    PRINT 'Category: ' + @outer_category_name;
	
    -- Define the inner cursor
    DECLARE inner_cursor CURSOR FOR
      SELECT product_name FROM products WHERE category_id = @outer_category_id;
    
    -- Open the inner cursor
    OPEN inner_cursor;
	FETCH NEXT FROM inner_cursor INTO @inner_product_name;

    WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0
    BEGIN
      PRINT 'Product: ' + @inner_product_name + ' Category: ' + CAST(@outer_category_id AS NVARCHAR(10));

      -- Fetch the next row from the inner cursor
      FETCH NEXT FROM inner_cursor INTO @inner_product_name;
    END;

    -- Close the inner cursor
    CLOSE inner_cursor;
    DEALLOCATE inner_cursor;

    -- Fetch the next row from the outer cursor
    FETCH NEXT FROM outer_cursor INTO @outer_category_id, @outer_category_name;
  END;

  -- Close the outer cursor
  CLOSE outer_cursor;
  DEALLOCATE outer_cursor;
  
END;

Output

OUT -> SqlServer_01.sql

CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE procedureSample ()
RETURNS VARCHAR
LANGUAGE SQL
COMMENT = '{"origin":"sf_sc","name":"snowconvert","version":{"major":1, "minor":0},"attributes":{"component":"transact"}}'
EXECUTE AS CALLER
AS
$$
	DECLARE
		OUTER_CATEGORY_ID INT;
		OUTER_CATEGORY_NAME VARCHAR(50);
		INNER_PRODUCT_NAME VARCHAR(50);

		-- Define the outer cursor
		--** SSC-FDM-TS0013 - SNOWFLAKE SCRIPTING CURSOR ROWS ARE NOT MODIFIABLE **
		outer_cursor CURSOR
		FOR
			SELECT
				category_id,
				category_name
			FROM
				categories;

		-- Define the inner cursor
		--** SSC-FDM-TS0013 - SNOWFLAKE SCRIPTING CURSOR ROWS ARE NOT MODIFIABLE **
		inner_cursor CURSOR
		FOR
			SELECT
				product_name
			FROM
				products
			WHERE
				category_id = :OUTER_CATEGORY_ID;
	BEGIN
		 
		 

		-- Open the outer cursor
		--** SSC-PRF-0005 - THE STATEMENT BELOW HAS USAGES OF NESTED CURSORS. **
		OPEN OUTER_CURSOR;
  -- Fetch the first row from the outer cursor
		FETCH
			outer_cursor
			INTO
			:OUTER_CATEGORY_ID,
			:OUTER_CATEGORY_NAME;

			-- Start the outer loop

			  -- Define the inner cursor
			WHILE (:FETCH_STATUS = 0) LOOP
			!!!RESOLVE EWI!!! /*** SSC-EWI-0073 - PENDING FUNCTIONAL EQUIVALENCE REVIEW FOR 'PRINT' NODE ***/!!!

			  PRINT 'Category: ' + @outer_category_name;