PostgreSQL 8.4.2 Documentation
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# ROLLBACK TO SAVEPOINT

## Name

ROLLBACK TO SAVEPOINT -- roll back to a savepoint

## Synopsis

    ROLLBACK [ WORK | TRANSACTION ] TO [ SAVEPOINT ] savepoint_name

## Description

Roll back all commands that were executed after the savepoint was established. The savepoint remains valid and can be rolled back to again later, if needed.

`ROLLBACK TO SAVEPOINT` implicitly destroys all savepoints that were established after the named savepoint.

## Parameters

`savepoint_name`

  The savepoint to roll back to.

## Notes

Use RELEASE SAVEPOINT to destroy a savepoint without discarding the effects of commands executed after it was established.

Specifying a savepoint name that has not been established is an error.

Cursors have somewhat non-transactional behavior with respect to savepoints. Any cursor that is opened inside a savepoint will be closed when the savepoint is rolled back. If a previously opened cursor is affected by a `FETCH` command inside a savepoint that is later rolled back, the cursor position remains at the position that `FETCH` left it pointing to (that is, `FETCH` is not rolled back). Closing a cursor is not undone by rolling back, either. A cursor whose execution causes a transaction to abort is put in a cannot-execute state, so while the transaction can be restored using `ROLLBACK TO SAVEPOINT`, the cursor can no longer be used.

## Examples

To undo the effects of the commands executed after `my_savepoint` was established:

    ROLLBACK TO SAVEPOINT my_savepoint;

Cursor positions are not affected by savepoint rollback:

    BEGIN;

    DECLARE foo CURSOR FOR SELECT 1 UNION SELECT 2;

    SAVEPOINT foo;

    FETCH 1 FROM foo;
     ?column?
    ----------
            1

    ROLLBACK TO SAVEPOINT foo;

    FETCH 1 FROM foo;
     ?column?
    ----------
            2

    COMMIT;

## Compatibility

The SQL standard specifies that the key word `SAVEPOINT` is mandatory, but PostgreSQL and Oracle allow it to be omitted. SQL allows only `WORK`, not `TRANSACTION`, as a noise word after `ROLLBACK`. Also, SQL has an optional clause `AND [ NO ] CHAIN` which is not currently supported by PostgreSQL. Otherwise, this command conforms to the SQL standard.

## See Also

BEGIN, COMMIT, RELEASE SAVEPOINT, ROLLBACK, SAVEPOINT

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