LOOP statement

Repeats the execution of a statement list.

Syntax

 [ statement-label : ]
[ WHILE search-condition ] LOOP
     statement-list
END LOOP [ statement-label ]

Remarks

The WHILE and LOOP statements are control statements that allow you to execute a list of SQL statements repeatedly while a search-condition evaluates to TRUE. The LEAVE statement can be used to resume execution at the first statement after the END LOOP.

If the ending statement-label is specified, it must match the beginning statement-label.

Privileges

None.

Side effects

None.

Standards

ANSI/ISO SQL Standard
The LOOP/END LOOP statement is part of optional ANSI/ISO SQL Language Feature P002, "Computational completeness". In the ANSI/ISO SQL Standard, the WHILE DO/END WHILE statement is a separate statement that is also part of Language Feature P002. The syntax combination WHILE search-condition LOOP supported in the software is not in the standard.
Transact-SQL
LOOP is not supported in the Transact-SQL dialect. Looping within Transact-SQL stored procedures is done with the Transact-SQL WHILE statement.

Example

The following example fragment shows a WHILE loop in a procedure.

...
SET i = 1;
WHILE i <= 10 LOOP
   INSERT INTO Counters( number ) VALUES ( i );
   SET i = i + 1;
END LOOP;
...

The following example fragment shows a labeled LOOP in a procedure.

SET i = 1;
lbl:
LOOP
   INSERT
   INTO Counters( number )
   VALUES ( i );
   IF i >= 10 THEN
      LEAVE lbl;
   END IF;
   SET i = i + 1;
END LOOP lbl