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 Data Manipulation (DML) StatementsBuilt-in Scalar Functions 

CHARACTER SET and COLLATE clauses

Unless specified, the character set and collation of a string variable will be the database defaults.A CHARACTER SET clause can be specified to handle string data that needs a different character set.A valid collation (COLLATE clause) can also be included, with or without the character set clause.

Initializing a Variable

Local variables are NULL when execution of the module begins.They can be explicitly initialized so that a starting or default value is available when they are first referenced.The initial value can be specified in two ways, DEFAULT <initvalue> and = <initvalue>.The value can be any type-compatible literal or context variable, including NULL.

Tip

Be sure to use this clause for any variables that have a NOT NULL constraint and do not otherwise have a default value available (i.e. inherited from a domain).