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Message Posted: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 @ 13:06:29 GMT

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Right. CASE ... END is an expression, not a statement. However, in V2R4.1, there is also a case statement (CASE ... END CASE;), which can be used only in stored procedures, not macros. See the SQL Reference, Vol. 6, ch. 4, p. 4-43.

Now let's review....

Expressions always have a value; statements do not (not in SQL, anyhow). Expressions do not do anything; statements do something (they are commands). Expressions can be terms in larger expressions; statements cannot (e.g., you cannot add one statement to another).

These are expressions:

5
(m * n) + p
a == b
CASE when a=b then 'Equal' else 'Not Equal' END

These are statements:

x = 5;
z = (m * n) + p;
if (a == b) { printf("They're equal\n"); }
select CASE when a=b then 'Equal' else 'Not Equal' END from your.table;

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