Pro*C Interview Question: What is the purpose of the EXEC SQL SET AUTOCOMMIT statement?

The EXEC SQL SET AUTOCOMMIT statement in Pro*C programming is used to control the automatic commit behavior of SQL statements in a database transaction. By default, Pro*C enables the AUTOCOMMIT mode, which means that each SQL statement is automatically committed after execution. This statement allows developers to disable or enable the AUTOCOMMIT mode as needed.

When AUTOCOMMIT is disabled using the EXEC SQL SET AUTOCOMMIT OFF statement, SQL statements within a transaction are not automatically committed. This enables developers to group multiple SQL statements together as a single logical unit of work. The changes made by these statements are only committed to the database when an explicit COMMIT statement is issued.

On the other hand, enabling AUTOCOMMIT with the EXEC SQL SET AUTOCOMMIT ON statement reverts back to the default behavior, where each SQL statement is automatically committed after execution.

Overall, the purpose of the EXEC SQL SET AUTOCOMMIT statement in Pro*C programming is to give developers more control over the transaction management process, allowing them to handle database updates and modifications more effectively.