DF057: Incorrect number of variables in the FETCH statement.

Last modified: May 28, 2025

The topic describes the DF057 T-SQL code analysis rule.

Category

EXECUTION RULES

Message

Incorrect number of variables in the FETCH statement.

Description

The number of variables specified in the FETCH statement does not match the number of columns defined in the cursor.

Additional information

Fetching data into incorrect variables can result in data integrity issues. If the number of variables doesn’t match the number of columns selected by the cursor, data may be misaligned, leading to incorrect results or unexpected behavior.

Additionally, when the FETCH statement has an incorrect number of variables, it can make debugging more challenging. Developers may spend additional time trying to identify the source of the error, especially if it occurs in a complex or lengthy procedure. Thus, the code that uses FETCH with incorrect variable counts can be harder to maintain and comprehend.

Noncompliant code example

DECLARE cur CURSOR LOCAL FORWARD_ONLY STATIC READ_ONLY FOR SELECT
  FirstName
 ,LastName
FROM dbo.Employee

Compliant solution

FETCH NEXT FROM cur INTO @FirstName, @LastName, @MiddleName