The syntax for the prepare statement is:
exec sql [at connection_name] prepare
statement_name from {:host_variable | "string"}
end-exec
where:
statement_name is a name up to 30 characters long that identifies the statement. It is not a COBOL variable or a literal string. It is a symbolic name that the precompiler uses to associate an execute statement with a prepare statement.
host_variable is a dynamic parameter marker.
Precede the dynamic parameter marker with a colon in standard Embedded SQL statements.
string is a literal string that can be used in place of host_variable.