---
title: "Setting Up the Cursor | 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: 
  - "scrollable cursors [ODBC]"
  - "cursors [ODBC], scrollable"
  - "cursors [ODBC], creating"
ms.assetid: b80afb0e-ef2f-408f-86f5-a392edd99a56
author: David-Engel
ms.author: v-daenge
---
# Setting Up the Cursor
The application can specify the cursor type before executing a statement that creates a result set. It does this with the SQL_ATTR_CURSOR_TYPE statement attribute. If the application does not explicitly specify a type, a forward-only cursor will be used. To get a mixed cursor, an application specifies a keyset-driven cursor but declares a keyset size less than the result set size.  
  
 For keyset-driven and mixed cursors, the application can also specify the keyset size. It does this with the SQL_ATTR_KEYSET_SIZE statement attribute. If the keyset size is set to 0, which is the default, the keyset size is set to the result set size and a keyset-driven cursor is used. The keyset size can be changed after the cursor has been opened.  
  
 The application can also set the rowset size; for more information, see [Using Block Cursors](../../../odbc/reference/develop-app/using-block-cursors.md), earlier in this section.