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GOTO (Transact-SQL)

SQL Server 2008

Alters the flow of execution to a label. The Transact-SQL statement or statements that follow GOTO are skipped and processing continues at the label. GOTO statements and labels can be used anywhere within a procedure, batch, or statement block. GOTO statements can be nested.

Topic link iconTransact-SQL Syntax Conventions

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Define the label: 
label : Alter the execution:
GOTO label
label

Is the point after which processing starts if a GOTO is targeted to that label. Labels must follow the rules for identifiers. A label can be used as a commenting method whether GOTO is used.

GOTO can exist within conditional control-of-flow statements, statement blocks, or procedures, but it cannot go to a label outside the batch. GOTO branching can go to a label defined before or after GOTO.

GOTO permissions default to any valid user.

The following example shows how to use GOTO as a branch mechanism.

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DECLARE @Counter int;
SET @Counter = 1;
WHILE @Counter < 10
BEGIN 
    SELECT @Counter
    SET @Counter = @Counter + 1
    IF @Counter = 4 GOTO Branch_One --Jumps to the first branch.
    IF @Counter = 5 GOTO Branch_Two  --This will never execute.
END
Branch_One:
    SELECT 'Jumping To Branch One.'
    GOTO Branch_Three; --This will prevent Branch_Two from executing.
Branch_Two:
    SELECT 'Jumping To Branch Two.'
Branch_Three:
    SELECT 'Jumping To Branch Three.'
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