---
title: "Column Data | Microsoft Docs"
ms.custom: ""
ms.date: "01/19/2017"
ms.prod: sql
ms.prod_service: connectivity
ms.reviewer: ""
ms.technology: connectivity
ms.topic: conceptual
helpviewer_keywords: 
  - "column data [ODBC]"
  - "ODBC cursor library [ODBC], cache"
  - "cursor library [ODBC], cache"
  - "cache [ODBC]"
ms.assetid: 0425818c-9469-493f-9e3c-fc03d9411c5c
author: David-Engel
ms.author: v-daenge
---
# Column Data
> [!IMPORTANT]  
>  This feature will be removed in a future version of Windows. Avoid using this feature in new development work and plan to modify applications that currently use this feature. Microsoft recommends using the driver's cursor functionality.  
  
 The cursor library creates a buffer in the cache for each data buffer bound to the result set with **SQLBindCol**. It uses the values in these buffers to construct a **WHERE** clause when it emulates a positioned update or delete statement. It updates these buffers from the rowset buffers when it fetches data from the data source and when it executes positioned update statements.  
  
 When the cursor library updates its cache from the rowset buffers, it transfers the data according to the C data type specified in **SQLBindCol**. For example, if the C data type of a rowset buffer is SQL_C_SLONG, the cursor library transfers four bytes of data; if it is SQL_C_CHAR and *BufferLength* is 10, the cursor library transfers 10 bytes of data. The cursor library does not perform any type checking or conversions on the data it transfers.  
  
> [!NOTE]  
>  The cursor library does not update its cache for a column if **StrLen_or_IndPtr* in the corresponding rowset buffer is SQL_DATA_AT_EXEC or the result of the SQL_LEN_DATA_AT_EXEC macro.  
  
 When it updates a column, a data source blank-pads fixed-length character data and zero-pads fixed-length binary data as necessary. For example, a data source stores "Smith" in a CHAR(10) column as "Smith     ". The cursor library does not blank-pad or zero-pad data in the rowset buffers when it copies this data to its cache after executing a positioned update statement. Therefore, if an application requires that the values in the cursor library's cache are blank-padded or zero-padded, it must blank-pad or zero-pad the values in the rowset buffers before executing a positioned update statement.