EXEC SQL ──> 
B
E
G
I
N 
D
E
C
L
A
R
E 
S
E
C
T
I
O
N ──> typebox (;) ─┐
 ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┘
 └─┬─> host variable declaration──┬─┐
   └─────────<────────────────────┘ │
 ┌──────────────────────────────────┘
 └─> 
E
X
E
C 
S
Q
L ──> 
E
N
D 
D
E
C
L
A
R
E 
S
E
C
T
I
O
N ──> typebox (;)

Additional information available:

More Information

 BEGIN DECLARE and END DECLARE are optional SQL statements in
 precompiled programs that denote the area in the program where
 parameters referred to by subsequent embedded SQL statements are
 declared.

 You cannot use BEGIN DECLARE or END DECLARE in interactive SQL.  In
 embedded SQL, if you use BEGIN and END DECLARE statements and later
 refer to a parameter in an embedded SQL statement that was not
 declared in the BEGIN-END DECLARE section, SQL generates a warning.

 BEGIN and END DECLARE are provided for compatibility with the ANSI
 SQL standard and are optional in VAX SQL.