The following differences exist between Client-Library cursors and browse mode updates:
A Client-Library cursor requires only one connection. Browse mode requires a second connection for updates, which consumes additional client and server resources.
Browse mode requires timestamps, but Client-Library cursors do not.
A sensitive cursor points directly at the underlying data tables, preventing other users from updating the page containing the current cursor row. An insensitive cursor points at a copy of the data (in a work table on the server).
A browse mode update is always insensitive because no lock is applied to the underlying table. A Client-Library cursor can be sensitive or insensitive.
An insensitive Client-Library cursor may still be updatable. In this case, concurrent updates to the underlying data are managed by “version keys.” When updating through the cursor, the server compares values to determine if the row has changed since the client received its copy.
Generally, Client-Library cursors declared with an “order by” clause are insensitive.
